"Comment" *

The pitter-patter
comes from the little critters
Racing on the roof.

*  A "play" on Gunnar Berg's haiku on Facebook

Mother

Writing reflections
about the life of my mom,
Share her legacy.

Listening to Heartwood Hotel

Rosalie Sorrels
speaking about her mother
Brings tears to my eyes.

Weather Weirdness

September surprise --
a week of ninety degrees
And above -- heat wave!

Haze

Smoke from forest fires
filled the valley sky last night,
Closed all the windows.

Caught Up

Updated the blog
With my haiku's from last month,
Call this a poem?

Tired of "It"

Feel a bit better,
Eating lots of chicken soup,
Ready to be well!

Medical Opinion

Went to the doctor
to get a diagnosis,
Best guess -- a virus.

Still Sick

Too sick to do much,
Just stay close to a bathroom
Or risk a big mess!

Sick

Woke at 5 a.m.
Sore belly and worse bowels,
Ugh -- diarrhea.

In My Dream ...Once More

My oldest son called
to tell me about his mom,
But he could not speak.


Hearing the silence
I asked if something was wrong,
But he could not talk.


"Tell me what happened?"
Guessing that she may be dead,
He could not say it.

Temperatures

The chill of the air
soon vanishes with the heat,
Until the morning.

Celebrate!

Beginning today:
The Eugene Celebration
Keeps the city weird.

Fruit of the Past

The taste of a peach,
Both the sweet and the sour,
Brings back memories.

Night Scent

The smell of leather
permeates the whole bedroom,
A brand new waist pack.

Unsatisfying Choices

Household maintenance:
I wonder how many years
of Life it consumed?

Tinnitus

The sound is loudest
in the middle of the night,
Screaming in my ears.

Remembering

Mother comes to mind
Most often in the night when She
Died -- four months ago.

Sound of Silence

The buzz of insects
fills the air this afternoon,
All at once they stop.

A Week Later

First weekend back home,
Looking at her 'to do' list--
Can't wait until Monday.

Drip-drip-dumb

Watering the lawn,
Wasting too much drinking water,
Time to give it up!

Overdoing It

My heart is pumping
after some heavy lifting,
Too much weight for me.

Night Noise

Sound of breaking glass
Startled me awake last night,
Must have been next door.

Back at Work

No drama at work,
Just the usual same stuff --
Didn't miss a thing.

In My Dream ...Again

Avoiding capture,
I hide behind a big tree,
Got caught anyway.

Wondering

Home from vacation,
Ready to go back to work,
What "drama" awaits?

After a Short Haircut

Facing the mirror,
One ear out, not the other --
Asymmetry wins!

Sweet Wake-Up

Sex in the morning
Keeps a guy glowing all day,
Thinking about her.

Parallel Success

Parking a Prius
in a space too small to park,
Bumped a car just once.

At a Trolley Stop

From across the street
A skateboarder and waiter,
Old friends reunite.

Coon Capers

Through the swinging door
In came three masked intruders,
Burglars in the night.

Differences

Sitting at breakfast
As she writes her "to do" list,
Not my way to live.


So how do you live?
No lists, nothing to cross-off,
Let the day unfold.

Woke Me Up

Aggravated knee,
Strained from biking yesterday,
Throbbing pain right now.

Disappointing Day

 
A very dark mood --
Her regrets about last night
Colored the whole day.

Childhood Echoes (from Skinned Knee)

"So what's your problem?"
"Don't feel sorry for yourself!"
"Go back out and play."

Living Room Decor

Masks hanging on walls
Keep evil spirits away
And scare humans too!

First Thursday Art Walk

Beautiful women,
Five-inch heels and six-inch skirts,
Bare legs on parade.

Public Transportation

Riding the Max train,
Sweaty bodies all around,
Packed in like sardines.

Etiquette Lession # 1

"Whenever you yawn,
be sure to cover your mouth,"
she said, quoting Mom.

At Fernhill Park

Tonight in the park
Ty Curtis played dirty blues --
Set the crowd on fire!

Sitting on the Porch

Chickens peck the grass
Digging for bugs in hiding,
Then tip-toe away.

Lazy Sunday Afternoon

A bamboo wind chine
plays its tune in the warm breeze
As I write haiku.

Portland B-B-Q 

Sitting at Cannon's
listening to Reggie play
The New Orlean's Blues.


 

Reading Patricia Hampl*

A people-pleaser
Glad to be disapproved of --
"I don't give a damn!"

*The Florist's Daughter

At the Artichoke Cafe

Singer songwriters
Make music that delights us,
Joyful Friday night.

Time To Go

Get ready to leave,
Put suitcases in the car,
Two-week vacation!

Joys & Concerns

Sitting with my friend,
Eating lunch and catching up
on news of our lives.

"The Heartwood Hotel"

Tuesday evening
With the radio turned on,
Tunes and poetry.

Emergency

Sirens in the night,
The fire truck rolls loudly by,
Waking up the 'hood.

"My Way or the Highway"

Angry President,
"No Tax" Speaker of the House,
Still no compromise.

Sunday Morning

Drinking my coffee,
Reading the Sunday paper
On the sunny deck.

Saturday Morning

Headed for the Y,
Going to workout early,
Then time to relax.

Sitting At Washburne Cafe

"What are you doing?"
He asked, then answered himself,
"Reading the paper."

SenatorSpeak

Question of the year:
Is "at the end of the day"
All they know to say?

Staff Meeting

After the drama
the "news" landed with a thud,
Not to be trusted.

5 a.m.

As it rolls through town
a train blasts its horn five times.
Wake up! Wake up! Wake .....

Not Another Dream!

Awake in the dark,
Listening to the rain*fall.
Am I in a dream?

*  As of today, more rain has fallen than our average for the month of July.

More July Rain

It's raining again
in the middle of the night,
Yes, it is July!

The Witnesses

Knock at the front door,
Two ladies with their bibles
Proclaim God's kingdom.

First Light

Waking up at dawn,
I hear the songs of morning --
Chickadees' chirping.

Not In Washington, D.C.

Sitting on the porch,
Old men solve the world's problems,
Then go for a walk.

Wet Surprise

A light rain falling
on this 12th day in July,
A rare occurrence*.

* Seven times since 1931.

Take A Break

It is 4 o'clock,
Time for afternoon coffee.
"Sleep" the computer!

Outahere

Driving to Jack Creek,
Headed over the mountains
To the desert side.

Yelp!

Writing a review
of my favorite cafe,
So glad they are here!

After Sleeping Late

Walking to Washburne*
Ready for morning coffee
And some steel cut oats.

In My Dream (3) ...

I'm getting ready,
heading out the door to drive,
Car missing again!

For How Long?

Feeling "nearly normal,"
No more waves of dizziness,
Whatever that means?

Wierdness

Feeling off-balance,
Dizziness with eyes flashing,
What's this all about?

Holiday?

The 4th of July,
Lots of noise, flash, and hoopla.
That's independence?

Art & The Vineyard*

A warm, sunny day,
Great for a stroll in the park
to enjoy the art.

* 4th of July Weekend

Summer Job

Scrubbing the back deck
Getting it ready for stain,
How long will it last?

Manipulator

No reason to change,
Her guilt-trips still work so well.
Six years and counting.

At a Poetry Reading

Grieving

Two women poets
read words about their mothers,
Daughters of the dead.

Dorianne*

"If I had a choice,
I would only write poems
about rock and roll."

* Comment while reading a new poem about her love of James Taylor.

Really?

"It's all positive,"
he said, then waited three weeks
to share the "good news."

Time?

What time is it now?
Must be "buddha standard time,"*
This present moment.

*  Reading buddha standard time by Lama Surya Das

New Arrival

Tower of foxglove

rises next to the old fence,

Wasn't here last year.

Early Start

Birds singing their songs
As morning light gets brighter,
Woke at 4:15.

Shameless

Men behave badly,
Using power to get sex.
Do they have no shame?

In My Dream (2) ...

Lost my car again,
It's parked somewhere on the streets.
Never did find it.

Noise

Tinnitus gets old,
Always ringing in my ears,
No silence ... ever!

Buzz Cut

Pruning the big hedge,
Giving it a short "haircut."
Hate the way it looks.

Summer ... Finally?

It's summer solstice,
The longest day of the year.
More daylight, less sleep.

Sweat Work

Cutting down tree limbs
that hang over the sidewalk,
Long overdue job!

"She Walks in Beauty" *

Went to bed early
to read poems together,
Rekindling our love.

*  "She Walks in Beauty" by Caroline Kennedy

Too Early!

Woke at 4:40,
a.m. that is, not p.m.
Time for a long nap!

Annoyed at Joe's

Shopping Trader Joe's,
Looking for stuff on my list.
Hate that they move things!

Dreamland II

Dreams of terrorists
Using Harleys as their bombs,
Poor choice of weapon!

What will happen next?
Motorcycle explosions.
Harley riders' weep!

Playing Taxi

Cruising the highway
on the way to the airport,
Fast-moving traffic.

Waking Up

Woke at 4 a.m.
And couldn't get back to sleep.
Listened to the birds.

Housework

Cleaning the kitchen,
The cabinets refinished
but the dust remains.

Headed South

Southbound on the train
on the way home to Eugene,
Left late; arrived late.

Northbound Train

Sitting on the train
slowly rolling down the tracks
Headed for Portland.

So many ringtones
are interrupting my sleep
(Annoyed on the train).

Sun breaks through the clouds
Brightening this gloomy day,
The train whistle blows.

Feeling so sleepy,
Hard to keep my eyes open,
Train rocks me to sleep.

What is this I hear?
It sounds like Spanish hip-hop
From headphones too loud.

Long Bus

Riding the Em-X,
Just 10 people are on board.
Not a word spoken.

Headed for Breakfast

A cloudy morning

Greets me on my walk to

The Washburne Cafe.

"Gone Away" Party

Off to Hendricks Park

for a picnic with Jasmine,

Wishing her life's best!

                         Photo by Jasmine Rose Penter (in the center)

Back Yard Beauty

Another iris

brings beauty to the back yard,

Sweetening my day.

Just Ducky

A duck in the street
Busy pruning his feathers,
Never mind the cars.

Lantern

A bright pink rhodi

With blossoms big as a ball

Lights up the morning.

Blossoms

Gracing the back yard

A fuchsia azalea

Makes me want to smile.

In My Dream (2) ...

I was confronted
for touching a man's shoulder.
I resigned and left.

Homophobia?
Or did I touch an old wound?
Maybe it was both.

So what happened next?
Sharpened up my boundaries,
No more playful touch. 

A Hint?

Woke up to sunshine
filling the house with bright light.
First sign of summer?

In My Dream ...

I was the preacher,
My sermon lasted too long.
Everybody left!

My sermon that day?
Something about "listening,"
Paying attention.

What is the message?
In waking life as in dreams
"Practice what you preach!"

Fooled Again

Another hard rain
Pouring outside my window,
Left raincoat at home!