Calls

a thick veil of clouds-
the lullaby of crickets
sung beneath the rain

predawn fog-
a vixen’s cry
heralds the sun

Summer

a laboring fan-
august heat makes fonder my
memories of snow

summer sun-
my verdant lawn
sere and brown

Age

another sunset-
the lives I’ve lived and died in
hopes of meeting you

falling snow-
the guttering flame
turns to smoke

Shadow

long evening shadows-
the sun half hidden behind
a stand of live oaks

sleepless-
my mind puts flesh
on the shadows

White

thin fringes of white
ring the brow of the mountain
furrowed by the past

white cliffs-
the sun glints
off the sea spray

Coffee

old invitations-
coffee’s brewed in the kitchen
if you’d ever show

rising steam-
cozy dreams
of coffee shops

Cemetery

blackbirds in the trees-
pebbles left on your headstone
in remembrance

knees in the soft earth-
I clear away
the weeds and leaves

Blue

frosted azure skies-
the curves of a white dragon
taken by the wind

pencil thin clouds-
the ocean reaches out
to touch the sky

Heat

atop cotton sheets
the drone of the ceiling fan
keeping me awake

sleeping dogs-
paddle fans spin
in lazy circles

Penance

another meeting-
I know your failings so well
as I do my own

rain slicked neon-
another club soda
graces my glass