Standing in water
Feeling a new wave arrive
Bare feet on firm sand
A beaver Swims by
Seeming to notice nothing
Just his endless work
The crow in the tree
Seems to never work at all
He is here to play
Morning widgeon land
Softly on dark water
Where the River sleeps
Two ducks landing
As one together on the pond
Stir the soft water
Closed and saddened heart
An anchor on life's seabed
Keeps us in this place
Early morning lake
Rippled by a loon's call
Reflecting the sun
Fall tree filtered light
An everchanging wind chime
Flickers on the wall
Watching a sunset
Its bright evening memory
A trace in our mind
A blessing from the sun
So many weightless sparkles
Laugh on dark water
Grateful every day
Love sings inside a rain dance
Flowing through our life
Two white butterflies
Flutter tightly together
High above the path
Anticipation
Early rays of spring sunshine
Stirs the sleeping earth
Kneeling on moist ground
Beside an ancient river
Spawning red salmon
Out on the ocean
Floating in a wooden boat
Whales just passing by
Tinder dry forest
Fragrant scent of pine
Stirred with quiet footsteps
Summer sun shining
Its heat unable to hide
Under broken rocks
Brightly colored leaf
Standing on a forest branch
Singing summer's song
Standing in the stream
Listening to the river flow
Laughing toward its home
Smiling at flowers
An unforgotten language
Spoken from the heart
Waking to the truth
Dust is blowing off the stone
Where we drew our dreams
Snow from the plum trees
Tumbles down the sidewalk
Playing with the breeze
We are a shiver
On the surface of life's pond
Just a whispered breeze
Driven by longing
Finding life's single promise
So easy to keep
Last night's crescent moon
Must have spilled upon the stars
Sparkled morning dew
The rain and the wind
Have been searching everywhere
No place left to hide
Storm cast ocean waves
Shattered on the rocky shore
Mix in with the rain
Dry whistle of wind
Rushing with the ocean breeze
Finds a broken wave
Willingness aside
I have no other interest
Bonding with your soul
Waiting for the sky
As the wind is blowing by
Over these mountains
Voices in the hall
Sense a joyful arrival
Children from their youth
Yesterday has passed
Tomorrow has not arrived
Plum tree is in bloom
Finding my wonder
I’ve always known this place
Love lives in my heart
Ocean waves calling
On their back or their bellies
White froth over blue
Listening to you
I find a truth in my heart
Breathing in sweet air
Feeling my footsteps
Sealing soft mud with sweet earth
Beautifully blind
Wine in its bottle
Such a confident secret
Colored so deeply
Loosing your body
Running with the summer wind
Heart broken open
Haikus speak softly
Inner and outer journeys
Are walked together
Its always that way
Inner and outer journeys
Travel together
Haikus build rainbows
Bridging two worlds together
Inner and outer
A conversation
Between inside and outside
Bright sparkles of light
In quiet water
Silver fish in the river
Flash bright in the sun
Outer and inner
Moving their feet and their words
Travel together
Objects and shadows
Like our thoughts and our visions
Seeking each other
Our experience
On the inside or outside
Makes its own shadow
The moon in darkness
Still sweeps across the sky
Reflecting the truth
The moon in darkness
Still sweeps across the sky
Truth in clear silence
The moon in darkness
Still sweeps across the sky
Smiling on plum trees
Waiting for nothing
Just delivers it sooner
Than anything else
Silence stills my breath
Knowing I am fully whole
In this quiet nest
Whispers from the past
Can not take us far from here
Holding with our heart
Cool summer morning
Just before the sun heats up
Swimming in the lake
If you only knew
Just how close beneath my feet
I felt heaven shift
If you only knew
How often I thought of you
In my wishing mind
Awash in white surf
Herring have found their purpose
Spawning on brown kelp
Seething ocean mass
Boiling in the darkened sea
Herring’s silver sides
Drawn together
Tightly in a herring ball
Fear rolls inside out
Seething ocean mass
Boiling in the darkened sea
Herring flash below
Drawn together
Herring in a living ball
Fear rolls inside out
These unblinking eyes
Seem urgent with excitement
In their spawning sea
Seagulls call with glee
Stiff and empty herring swirl
In a broken sea
So wet and lovely
Your saturated vision
Of this precious life
Winter's precious soul
Rests along the path we walk
Under autumn leaves
Our deepest purpose
Unwavering in the wind
So firmly rooted
How many lifetimes
Have we felt our purpose stand
Still in the spring breeze
How many lifetimes
Weathered in the winter rain
Will our purpose stand
Sweet winter wood smoke
Sleeping with the forest trees
Drifts into our dreams
Such sweet memories
Wood smoke tangled in tall trees
Changing the landscape
Dark ribbons of wave
Silently lift winter birds
Near the morning's beach
Dark and then silver
Twirling ribbons of ocean
Gather round our feet
Approaching the beach
Twisting ribbons of water
Know me where I stand
I am a blind man
Finding freedom in my breath
Standing here with you
Distant geese calling
Chasing spring across the sky
Draw me from my sleep
Large paper thin moon
Still bright in the morning sky
Watching restless clouds
Thin shaving of truth
High up in the morning sky
Round and still and bright
Noticing nature
Glint below an ocean wave
Like an autumn's leaf
Fallen autumn leaves
Helping all their trees to rest
Through the winter’s night
A wave meets the shore
Spilling water up the beach
Sinking through the sand
Running one by one
Reflecting off wet sandstone
Waves head out again
Marsh grass summer breeze
Woven with the ocean’s scent
My favorite shirt
A rusty old pump
Meters its play with our song
Crystal clear water
Life’s real adventure
Is stirred at every foot-fall
Breathed with every breath
Of red and purple flowers
Wash among the trees
Deeply rooted tree
Steady on a grassy field
Floating on flowers
Rain only feels wet
When it falls onto our skin
Our mind remembers
Low clouds move slowly
Against the backdrop of gray
Changing as they go
That tree has a name
Tree Too Tall To See The Top
Is how we know it
Broken uprooted
Violently taken from life
Wishing differently
Finding my window open
Offers a greeting
Full red open rose
Perfumed on your plant’s green sleeve
Fine summer fashion
Dusty residue
Raindrops on my window pane
Obscurring the view
We stopped going
But grass and trees kept growing
Since we last were here
Out shone by the sun
Chalk white moon in morning light
Shines full of passion
Summer fish struggles
Body broken by a bird
What will you do now
Feeding salmon fry
Sew a sweet scented blanket
To their summer pond
Round granite boulders
Polished by a mountain stream
Beautiful unique
Music meets the light
Excitement charges the air
At your open door
Native summer rose
Riding with the ocean breeze
Greets my open heart
A memory stirred
Then a feeling is set free
It remembers me
Crisp golden apple
Ripened by the summer sun
Just tugged from its branch
Sunshine catches rain
In an endless game of chase
Calling out - Rainbow!
A double rainbow
Holds hope for two survivors
Lost in last nights storm
Just for an instant
Reflection's veil withdrew
Letting me see through
Plain gray winter moth
Unnoticed in the closet
Wearing my best suit
My path leads me here
It seems clear that I must go
Just my weightless soul
Lifeless winter bark
Breaks with buds that blush with spring
Bursting with new dreams
Footprints cast in mud
Set and dry in broken ground
Buried by the sand
Our sense of purpose
Defines much of life’s journey
Its treasures as well
Sun seasoned with warmth
Urges the ground to divide
Spilling spring flowers
Running down the beach
Chester charts a broken path
Scattering the birds
Family photograph
So many smiling faces
Sometimes are they sad?
Rising at greeting
Waves pass straight through at meeting
Their own reflection
Log bleaching in sun
Your body broken branchless
Lost from your forest
Diamonds dance lightly
Brightly reflecting the sun
Stream takes no notice
The flowers and leaves
Buds that will burst on their trees
Move toward their moment
Awakening heart
In a world that surrounds me
Now touching my soul
Brown skin and bright eyes
With a warm smile that’s so wide
You are beautiful
I love my children
They fold meaning into life
Beyond good teachers
Wind stole the bird song
Rain silenced the summer grass
Winter shadows stretch
Sand is everywhere
That is how a rock wanders
In tiny pieces
Life is just as real
Inside a salty tide pool
As the open sea
The moss and the tree
Growing together as one
Balanced in their need
Sea anemone
Unfolded in its tide pool
Unafraid of fish
Starfish under rock
Fashoning your travel plans
For the tide’s return
Senses awaken
To the the fragrant Ocean breeze
Rustling dry grass
Gentle disturbance
Disconnects parts from the whole
That slowly float back
Mirror images
Hard mountain /\ soft mountain
Both touching the pond
Doing as she must
Patience is a morning dove
Tending to her nest
Patient drum of life
Your ever-present heart beat
I play back to you
Real life adventure
Lies under every foot-fall
Inside every breath
I must keep it bright
As I walk along this path
Fragile little flame
The oak tree stands strong
Steady in its grassy field
Washed in spring flowers
Old memories wake
As I walk through this place
Where I slept a child
Bright yet so serene
The tide of colored flowers
Under gentle cows
We leave our children
What we give to them right now
When we touch their soul
Then I realized
If I free a butterfly
So must I a soul
Grinding up the beans
Putting water in the pot
Smell the coffee brew
Love is not wasted
Wherever it springs to life
It changes our world
Wise medicine man
Help our hearts open to feel
The life around us
Let me feel and see
The truth that belongs to me
Hidden in this mist
There are many paths
That can lead to the same place
Where we are set free
An eagle’s feather
Circles down toward the ground
Captured by a wave
Rock in the water
Did you choose this place to rest
Silent for so long
Where did it come from
Does boulder ever wonder
Where is it going
So very ancient
You were here before the ice
Can you remember
Combing through the mist
You stood here before the ice
So far before time
The life force in you
Is the same as is in me
We just look different
A steady heart beat
Deep in an ancient forest
Is it yours or mine
I am so happy
Just to be here with you now
Walking together
Rock earth water tree
Voices from the landscape Call
Through the morning mist
My clumsy presence
Unnoticed out of water
To fish as they spawn
Hold your hands right here
Can you feel the tree straining
Dancing with the wind
Yes they all have names
But they won’t come when they’re called
These trees are stubborn
Alive in this place
One drum among so many
That play the same song
Steelhead returning
Already paired with a mate
Preparing to spawn
My heart is beating
Yet I find nothing to say
Struck down like these trees
Eagle must take it
But salmon needs to be free
Fragmenting to eggs
Web spun by spider
Its sagging catch of diamonds
Sun on autumn dew
Hiding in the world
On the trunk of a huge fir
A small moth is still
Past history takes flight
Like a raven from its branch
Leaving no shadow
Watching silently
Smoke rising from the embers
Dancing with my thoughts
Rising cloud of mist
Magic song of silver breath
Whale returns below
Your breath and my breath
Merging over the water
A silent embrace
Your scent lingers here
Tangled in moonlit branches
Of flowering plum
Two dancing flames touch
Combining then withdrawing
Each changed forever
Breathe old flames to life
The passionate reunion
Of separate souls
Crooked legged crow
Broken gait so hard to watch
Beautiful in flight
I wait and wonder
Is this friendship meant to be
Hoping and wishing
Sleeping mountain air
Curling round my feather bed
Hiding from the frost
Songs so beautiful
What would ever make them fight
Three birds on a branch
When I walk with you
I feel your love for this land
And share that with you
Finding small treasures
Simple unexpected gifts
Enriching our life
Sometimes a problem
Expected as an outcome
Just fails to arrive
Trees don't get confused
If it is an apple tree
Then it grows apples
When I was a child
A yellow climbing rose grew
Up past my window
Autumn Orange Rose
Spring Bloom with Summer Perfume
Better than Ever
Try to smell the rose
Just for what it is and not
For what we wish it were
Daisies and clover
Days after the lawn is cut
Return like a tide
Uncomfortable
Fractured ground between good friends
How deep this fissure
Evaporating
Pure water from a raindrop
Leaves its dust behind
It has burst open
A great gray cloud of sadness
I feel it deeply
The rustle of leaves
Rises and falls with the breeze
That seals my eyes shut
Messenger of rain
Sweet wind outrunning the storm
Spill a stolen drop
Once first needs are met
I can hear and see and feel
New and gentle things
Warm scent of dry pine
Over the splash of rainbow
Under call of hawk
Crystals in a cloud
Looking down from far above
Know their winding stream
This force that draws us
Like a raindrop to its stream
Irresistible
Wider and deeper
Flows the stream that we follow
On our path through life
The paper thin moon
A chalky white reflection
Above morning sky
Frog bounces his call
Across a glassy calm pond
Hidden in the trees
Moment to moment
Feeling love and compassion
Sunshine and raindrops
Sweet warm blackberries
Weighing down their summer canes
Stained with summer's height
Life needs us to choose
With each footstep that we make
The sun or the moon
Teaming with Life
Brewing in a summer pond
Bright new beginnings
Bright star draws my eye
Bringing light to the moment
Round-belly moon laughs
Sweet Cottonwood scent
Heavy in the morning mist
Sleeps on the red marsh
Found by morning's light
Marble statue warms to life
Air like silk on skin
Butterfly in flight
Vulnerable with beauty
Finds an open door
A gentle knowing
It has been there all the time
The warmth and the light
Missing your warm touch
I opened the seaside door
To a summer sun
Ask the garden sun
What adventures might be there
Where the breeze comes from
Knowing you are there
I float thistle-down on breeze
Bringing you this rose
Butterfly emerged
From a tattered chrysalis
Freedom in her heart
Unable to sleep
I let shadows play for me
On my moonlit wall
Your scent still lingers
Even though the shadow’s changed
Where I lay my head
Summer adventure
My magic oar stirs the clouds
Round my wooden boat
Floating on water
Flat shimmering images
scatter at my touch
My ship rules this pond
And all things that live here
In my adventure
Just for a second
I saw through the reflection
To another world
I need to return
And float my boat on that pond
Where I knew the truth
Seeking to retrieve
Something that was left behind
In that other world
Resting on the shore
At a perfectly shaped beach
Sitting beside you
Colors on fall leaves
Even in the autumn rain
Will not wash away
This ancient forest
Lives in a deeper silence
Can you feel its truth
Mountain’s hem of cloud
Is dragging through its forest
Misting every tree
Forest and the fish
Together changing color
Bright in autumn’s rise
Autumn excitement
Spending all its energy
Celebrating life
Golden Autumn Leaf
Did you see me standing here
Watching as you fell
My path leads me here
It seems clear that I must go
Just my weightless soul
Cold and still drowsy
A timeless land slowly stirs
To winter's morning
A young woman's breath
Arrested for one moment
Longing for her life
Fashioning new dreams
To float out onto the lake
Settle where they will
Young tree standing still
At the foot of family
Listening to birds
Late Autumn guardian
Standing with our family
Over fallen leaves
Young forest master
stands in a circle of friends
learning of their ways
Emperor of kings
This tree among the forest
Unaware of time
Forest guardian
Standing on a mossy floor
Makes a careful step
On this wooden bench
I sit among spring daisies
All facing the sun
See the western sky
The sun sizzles in the sea
While clouds burn orange
Peaceful night river
Lightly floats the reflection
Of my silver moon
In yesterday’s sun
I never did imagine
Snow would fall today
Dreamless winter bark
Cracked by buds that blush with spring
Full of new life
Goodnight and sleep well
Peaceful dreams in neverland
Wrapped in violet light
Autumn's bright colors
Richer in the day's last light
Pale before the moon
Wet and winter blue
Ancient island washed by sea
Draped in evening sky
Your garden fountain
Splashes a joyful welcome
Greeting all who come
Old Friends together
Excitedly share new things
In the sun's warm light
Passion reflecting
The colored trees of autumn
Surrounding the pond
Surrender yourself
To the winds of your seasons
Delight the moon's tide
Like a symphony
The world is full of movement
Bathing us in change
On winter’s white breath
The soft whistles of widgeon
Scatter fallen leaves
White sound of water
Rushing over river rocks
Steals the forest’s voice
Cold river water
Smoothing ancient river rock
Glistens in the sun
Waving in winter
The golden dry river grass
Rustles to the sun
