Animal – Page 14 – Iron Haiku

on a twisted branch
outside my window a crow
in the black of night
–
india ink-
an ebony feather
is my quill

around my ankle
an invisible red thread
that binds me to you
–
a cardinal-
in the holly his mate
awaits his return

driftwood and clam shells
dried seaweed and rushes line
the high water mark
–
curling waves-
preening ducks
bathe in the surf

midwinter moonlight-
hushed stillness split by the cries
of mother and child
–
nesting jays-
the silence of
broken eggshells

across an open lea
a small fox bounding over
sprays of wildflowers
–
rolling green hills-
freckles of
snapdragons

freshly brewed coffee-
the morning sky hidden by
pebbled leather clouds
–
warm blankets-
coyotes chatter
before sunrise

a line of turtles
asleep on a fallen log
as I float on by
–
flat water-
silently
making waves

butterflies flutter-
goldenrod grows along side
lines of split rail fence
–
the feed wagon-
cattle gather
along the fences

verdant sunlight-
hillsides dappled by the shade
from the passing clouds
–
sea foam-
emerald hills
flecked with sheep

a cool morning breeze-
silver waves ripple across
unmown fields of grass
–
gulls over the beach-
cattails bowed to
the rising sun