The sky moves as fast as the days are short.
Cold is gathering, gathering, gathering.
December Dusk
Quietly, quickly
the embers of the day
melt away into grey.
Lichen Impression
My artist eye refuses to see
just lichen and rock.
No. This a celestial flowering.
Solitude
Alone in the fields
contemplation holds my hand.
Reverence is my path.
Freezing Reflection
The ice erases
the sky and trees
as it creeps across the pond.
Carpet
The forest’s berber
is a durable oak.
First Light
The colors of hope are lavender and peach.
Ruffled Edge
Before the Silence
The river moans
as ice begins to creep from bank to bank
silencing it for the winter.
Dog Art
Pads of paws
on snowy steps
draw flowers.
Icicles and birch
Winter’s slant
creates
a herringbone design.
Landscape
In the rock wall
resides the landscape
of the moon.
Snowcaps
The branches wear snow caps,
fluffy hats of cotton white,
at the behest of old man winter.
Sacred Shape
When Buddha and the Madonna met
their spirits left a sacred shape
a touchstone for peace and practice.
Wind and Reeds
The river wears the weather like a skin
a snake skin she sheds from season to season
She slithers into winter, slowly slowed until dormant.
Christmas Cactus
Grandma’s flower
bursts with blooms
her Christmas joy.
Put the garden to bed
With a blanket of hay
the garden is tucked in for the winter,
snug as a bug.
Garland
Mother Nature decorates the pines with garlands of vines.
Bare
Naked branches await
their winter coats of white.
Christmas Leaves
Railroad Tie
Steel and oak.
Strength at rest.
Endurance is often silent.
In the Valley
In the quiet of the valley
farms and forest prepare themselves
for the demands of winter.
Winter Green
After the leaves are gone
lichen paints the forest green.
Curl
A frozen wave encircles the dormer window.
The tube can be ridden from inside the house
until it is dissolved by the sun.
Intensity
Morning began with a light pink sky so delicate
it could never suggest the evening it brought
and its intensity of red and orange.
Day Break
Gently comes the new day.
Pine
Powder sugar frosted pine.
Divine.
Bambino
The cement child with his faithful squirrel
wears his winter cloths
a cap and shawl of snow.
Hush
Snow covers the land with quiet,
muting the colors of Fall.
Winter’s paintbrush holds a thousand shades of grey.
Roof Tops
We are safe beneath the peaks and eves
as cold gathers in the big grey sky.