Seasonal Ritual

Raking golden leaves
From the lawn to the curb side,
First load of many.

City Lighthouse

Through the night time fog
The street light glows bright amber,
Beacon in the mist.

Weekend - Sunday

Weekly ritual --
Reading the Sunday paper,
Comics and coffee.

Weekend - Saturday

Weekly ritual --
Baking banana muffins*
for my dear partner.

* Gluten-free!

Art to Art

First Friday Art Walk --
Gallery to gallery,
Artist's show their best.

Joy

Outlandish pleasure,
Unreasonable beauty --
Life's wildest blessings.

How Much Is A Tooth Worth?

In the dentist's chair
waiting for a root canal --
Twelve hundred dollars!

How Many Left?

First of November,
Eleventh month of the year.
Will it be my last?

Scare Me!

Witches and goblins
are wandering in the streets,
It's Halloween night.

While Waiting for Sleep

While remembering
the soft texture of her skin,
Sleep overtook me.

Politics As Usual

Utter lunacy
continues in Washington,
Congressmen at work?

How Does It All End?

"Death is not the end,"
(we've been confused all life long)
"It is a release."

Quotes:  Patricia Hampl in "Virgin Time"

What Are You Waiting For?

So commit to a
Sacred act of lunacy,
Before its too late!

Burrrr....

Twenty-eight degrees --
A cold October morning,
Scraping car windows.

First Freeze

Frost on the windows,
Where did I put the scraper?
Look under the seat.

Change of Season

A cool breeze blowing,
Walking to the library,
Autumn colors glow.

Baker Man

Mixed up the batter
To bake banana muffins --
Don't forget walnuts!

Lights Out?

A wave of darkness
washes over my psyche --
Will I drown this time?

Never Fails!

An annoying day,
Repairing leaky plumbing.
Stop a leak -- starts one!

Morning Weather

Forty-nine degrees,
Drive to work in a dense fog,
Clear at the office.

October Morning

Woke up in the dark,
Got ready to go to work --
Waiting for daylight.

Long Ago ... Back Today

 

Walked by a hot rod,

Memories of high school days,

Time for photo opp.

The Sing Off*

"Listen to Your Heart,"
Acapella voices sing --
Brings tears to my eyes.

* Just voices, that's all.

In My Dream ... In the Front Yard

The tree was missing,
Not even a stump to see --
Stolen in the night.

Occupy Eugene*

Locals join the cause,
Their tents fill a downtown park.
Police let them be.


*  A website is up and running.

Today's Question

How to overcome
Malaise of everydayness --
That is the question?

Slow Down

Running out of work,
Budget cuts, fewer projects --
More creative time.

More Hints of Fall

Outside my window

Leaves turn a dazzling yellow,

Say "goodbye" to green*!

* Which turned blue taking the photo through the window.

Kitchen Sink

Faucet is dripping,
Time to replace washers --
A plumber or me?

Chamber Amici*

Went to a concert,
Strings playing Brahms and Haydn --
Classical magic!

*  Concert Series At the Wildish Theater, Springfield OR

This Too Shall Pass

I woke up depressed
Without much life energy --
Get up, get moving!

Addicted

She's in denial
Eating a fat-filled diet --
Pizza and ice cream.

Pay Up!

Pleading for money,
Another Radiothon.
It's donation time!

How Much Longer?

Postman stops his truck,
Gets out and walks to the house.
Drops mail in the box.

Passionate Man

Steve Jobs died today.
He changed my life, my sons' too.
Transformed ways we work.

Snooze

Another downpour,
Sounds of droplets on the roof
Lull me off to sleep.

Auto Mystery

The car would not start.
Tightened battery cable --
It solved the problem!

It's Back!

The rain has returned,
No sunshine in the forecast
For at least five days.

Another New Month

First of October,
Sixty-seventh of my life.
Are there many more?

A Lost Photo Returned

Who is that young man?

What did he do with his life?

Look in the mirror.

Changing Season

Among the trees,
One red leaf among the green
Longing for Fall.

Indigestion

Pain in the belly,
Was it something I just ate?
Maybe, maybe not.

Painful Soul

Living with regrets,
Decisions made long ago --
Can't forgive herself.

Unhappy in Love

Feeling disrespected
Because I forgot to ask --
No slack for old men.

Big Bird

Hiking at Smith Rock,

Looked up -- Saw a bald eagle

Perched in a dead tree.

Hosmer Lake

Up Century Drive

And around Mt. Bachelor

To canoe the lake.

25 Years Later

Time to celebrate --
Heading over the mountains
On the way to Bend.

The Doc

Watching Doc Martin,
A most unlikeable guy
Who you want to like.

Autumn (In Progress)

Outside my window
leaves turning orange and red --
Fall begins Friday.

Old Man's Project*

Why did he do it?
"The pride of accomplishment."
By himself -- no help.

* Gunnar's Growlery

Her Choice (Her Destiny?)

A pizza a day
Transforms a beauty to fat,
Right before our eyes.

Two Years (and Still Hopping)

Black and white rabbit,
A survivor in the wild,
Showed up this morning.

Night List

"Sweet darling," she said
In the middle of the night,
"Don't forget to do ...."

Another Hint of Fall

A cool morning walk
to my favorite cafe --
Hot coffee awaits.

Fond Memory

Eating a pizza,
reminds me of high school days,
Old friends come to mind.

Morning Sounds

Walking out the door,
I hear geese honking above--
A "V" headed south.

Hints of Fall

From our third floor room,
overlooking the tree tops,
Leaves are turning red.

A New Day

It's the day after
the tenth anniversary--
No more "Ground Zero."

Ten Years Ago

As the tower fell
My heart broke open with tears.
I watched and I wept.

Today

New tower rising,
Wars started, trillions spent --
The terrorists won.

Leadership?

The Presidents' wars 
Kill and maim our young people.
Will that ever change?

The Congress bickers
While people lack food and work.
Will that ever change?

In My Waking Dream ....

She danced before me
in a silver bikini,
Much to my delight.

"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.