Blog Archives
Autumn Leaves
Colorful aspen leaves, Lockett Meadow Campground, Coconino National Forest near Flagstaff, Arizona, autumn 2016.
~~ ~~ 1 ~~ ~~
tumult on my roof—
acorns and oak leaves thudding
till the storm is done
~~ ~~ 2 ~~ ~~
Since crowds delight you,
how can one falling oak leaf
give you so much joy?
~~ ~~ 3 ~~ ~~
Bring me one red leaf
from under the maple tree,
then leave me alone.
~~ ~~ 4 ~~ ~~
Such a waste of breath:
lamenting the leaves falling
from my backyard plum!
~~ ~~ 5 ~~ ~~
Two feral cats fight
among the falling oak leaves—
one gets bragging rights.
~~ ~~ 6 ~~ ~~
Blackbird, O blackbird,
how do you balance your song
on that falling leaf?
~~ ~~ 7 ~~ ~~
It is no great loss
to watch storm clouds disappear,
but when plum leaves fall…
Haiku © 2018 by Magical Mystical Teacher
More Sunday’s Whirligig #182
More Poetry Pantry #423 at Poets United
No Going Back
Languid autumn afternoon—
does she know a loss is coming,
a loss so devastating
that longing to die will consume her days?
After it happens,
there will be no going back.
He hinted at this, the angel,
who told her she was exceptional
among women.
If only she could see the outline
of some small joy beyond what she will suffer,
then she could bear what is to come
and more.
Poem © 2016 and photo © 2013 by Magical Mystical Teacher
More Sunday’s Whirligig #88
More Poetry Pantry #331 at Poets United
More Twelve Days of Mary at Recuerda Mi Corazon
More Sunday’s Whirligig #88
More Poetry Pantry #331 at Poets United
More Twelve Days of Mary at Recuerda Mi Corazon
On a Crumbling Wall
Section of a mural, San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, México
~~ 1 ~~
on a crumbling wall
iridescent hummingbird
in eternal flight—
its whirring wings never stop
as it hovers for a sip
~~ 2 ~~
empty garden bench
where last night’s conversation
still lingers at dawn
patterns of loss and longing
nestling in the wooden slats
~~ 3 ~~
all things softening
as summer moves toward autumn—
even field mice seem
to dwindle into mere fluff
a child’s breath can blow away
~~ 4 ~~
a cold deep pool
where she comes to bathe at dawn
dropping her silk blouse
into the dry stems and weeds
detritus of late summer
~~ 5 ~~
offering herself
as an exile from the world—
the burdock knows why,
and so does the peony
with its extravagant bloom
Tanka and photo © 2016 by Magical Mystical Teacher
More Poetry Pantry #312
More Sunday’s Whirligig #69
Weather-beaten
Dead saguaro cactus, White Tank Mountain Regional Park, Maricopa County, Arizona
in the wilderness
weather-beaten saguaro
keening for its loss
Text and photo © 2015 by Magical Mystical Teacher
More SkyWatch Friday
More Carpe Diem: “Weather-beaten”
Loss
Remains of a dead Desert Willow (Chilopsis linearis), Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, Southern California
wilderness pilgrim
weeping for the willow’s loss—
interrupted sleep
Text and photo © 2015 by Magical Mystical Teacher
More Haiku Horizons: “Sleep”
More Carpe Diem: “Weeping Willow”
