By the Water

 (C) R.L.K.

In the cold distance
the lights of the city shine
faintly through the mist;
again and again waves break
loudly  on the rocky shore.

Time Passing in an Old Town

 (C) R.L.K.

Afternoon sunlight
floods the sky and spills onto
the rusted fringes
of a defunct railway while
scraps of paper ride the wind.

Spring Haiku

 (C) R.L.K.

1.
As distant bells chime,
sunrise spreads its light upon
the narrow sidewalks.

2.
The slow drift of dusk;
the backyard trees have gathered
darkness in their limbs.

3.
Slowly, the full moon
rises in the night. Below,
the city is still.

Thoughts in January

 (C) R.L.K.

Morning in another year:
Shadows on the snow shifting
Moment to moment. Here and there
An oak branch rustles, its
Tatter of withered leaves still
Clinging, clinging, in a world
Of wind and weather, in a winter
Landscape reduced to fundamentals
Under a sky blue and cold as ice.

Scene: Autumn

(C) R.L.K.

Cue the music for a memory. An old front porch at dusk. A weathered suitcase beside an empty rocking chair. Someone saying goodbye. Misty rain falling, along with the yellow leaflets of the honey locust trees. Minutes passing... The suitcase is gone. The wind rocks the empty chair.

 

A Place Nearby

 (C) R.L.K.

High up, clouds open:
rain pours down into
the old pond. Grayness
everywhere: grass, trees,
green gone gray. Quick wind,
chilly wind. A small
willow sweeps an arc
through the evening air.

Wandering/Wondering

 (C) R.L.K.

Along the roadside, patches
of shadow from oak
and ash trees alternate with
splashes of morning sunlight.
So much has changed in
so many years, is there still
a place to call home?