Lunar Quartet

(C) R.L.K.

a moonlit night -
shaky old boxcars roll
slowly over the bridge
.
beside the still lake
the vagabond takes
the moonbeam path
.
weariness…
a thin white moon hangs
over the gnarled trees
.
at dawn
a high wasted half-moon
lingering

Dreamer to Dreamer

(C) R.L.K.

(For Gloria)

Here it is, another Sunday. The morning is almost gone,
A morning that has done little more than make rain puddles
On the sidewalk, and here we are, sitting on the front porch
Of an old house in an old neighborhood. Summer, too,
Is almost gone, and some of the trees have started
Tossing their leaves into the wind. Going, gone…
So much is already gone, yet here we are,
Waiting for a rift in the clouds to let sunlight
Shine on the damp grass, waiting for the rare leaf
That a smiling child will catch in flight.

Sestet

(C) R.L.K.

This August Sunday lingers long;
From hill to meadow, grass stems leap
In a bright wind. Birdsong
Fills the air. The sky is a deep
Blue. No cloud comes or goes.
Under the bridge the old river flows.

Especially Now

(C) R.L.K.

1.
morning clouds part -
a sparrow on a pine branch
welcomes the sunlight

2.
afternoon warmth -
now & then a tune
from the wind chimes

3.
midsummer night -
after her train departs...
stars & silence

Mostly Blue

(C) R.L.K.

(pieces for accompaniment by saxophone and piano)

....
It rained today, a soft steady rain,
falling from morning on into the afternoon,
falling slowly, surely, soaking the summer grass.
....
And here it comes again:
Another blue melody,
Another song about the rain
And the distance between you and me.
....
lines
of
rain
inching
down
on
an
empty
street
....
And at night, in the backyard,
the sound of rain dripping
from invisible leaves.

Materia Poetica

(C) R.L.K.

We speak of such things: the dreamy song
of a sparrow on a June morning
when fog hugs the shadows, or
the clouds that skim the rooftops
on a December night. We consider
what we consider: a season and its weather.
We speak of things, and so we speak
of the state of our world, at a given time.

hours (contemporary haiku)

(C) R.L.K.

morning dew --
the softness
of a parting word
….
low clouds all afternoon --
alone in the town square
a wet sparrow
….
the willows at twilight --
old friends
sharing the silence
….
hazy moonlight --
in the distance
a lone boat on the lake