Tuesday, February 28, 2017

#NaHaiWriMo 2017 – day twentyeight

there’s nothing left
one need only be thankful 
anticipate hope

Monday, February 27, 2017

#NaHaiWriMo 2017 – day twentyseven

television hum
renders my thoughts fuzzy
heavy-lidded eyes

*

potential energy
the squirrel is all tension
quivering bundle

*

sometimes pain is good
the way a muscle breaks
the way we are stretched

*

swell of anxiety
weight of embarassment 

just jump into it

Sunday, February 26, 2017

#NaHaiWriMo 2017 - day twentysix

everything’s melting
the water drips and pools
listen to that sound

*

in every instance
it’s all about the timing
yours, mine, God’s

*

with some mistakes
air gets sucked out of the room
with others, not

Saturday, February 25, 2017

#NaHaiWriMo 2017 – day twentyfive

grasping at shadows
flicker at the edge of vision
crows like ghosts

*

slight dusting of snow
footsteps slowly fading
erasure of traces

*

tired of excuses
the tyranny of absence
i’m only human

*

first tentative steps
learning to trust again 

the restoration

Friday, February 24, 2017

#NaHaiWriMo 2017 – day twentyfour

a weight is lifted
conversations full of hope
learning new dance steps

*

magpie skips on the path
looks at everything but me
blinks and turns its head

*

the pen remains capped
papers scattered on my desk
i drink my coffee

Thursday, February 23, 2017

#NaHaiWriMo 2017 – day twentythree

the trick is to know
when you should use questions 

and when statements

Wednesday, February 22, 2017

#NaHaiWriMo 2017 – day twentytwo

so many stories
written on skin and eye
the body’s perception

*

sometimes, just sometimes
there are answers to prayer
not merely hoping

*

who would have thought
you would look so beautiful
so naked

Tuesday, February 21, 2017

#NaHaiWriMo 2017 – day twentyone

the sun on my face
feels like the smile of God
it is all i need

*

discovered purpose 

the plan inscribed within bones 
your measured pace

*

i’m tired of waiting
i have better things to do
the magpies dance

*

all that drama
long procession of pain
voices and gestures

Monday, February 20, 2017

#NaHaiWriMo 2017 – day twenty

sitting in silence
we fill our heads with words
all that reading

*

skin touches skin
in the wet early morning
our bodies in space

*

i feel the tension
turn and turn and turn again
be anxious for nothing

*

just a few moments 

engulfed in light and breath 
our bodies suspended

Sunday, February 19, 2017

#NaHaiWriMo 2017 – day nineteen


i sense your presence
the way it fills empty spaces
joy unspeakable

*

i do have jealous bones
i wish i had written that
no bones about it

*

unveil your heart
the moment fills with awe
let me honour you
*

the heart swells, fills
celebrating the journey
each and every win

Saturday, February 18, 2017

#NaHaiWriMo 2017 – day eighteen

it’s all tension here
what is the correct distance
between life and death

*

such an honour
placed gently in my hands
each one of your dreams

*

all this talk of distance
the head, the heart, and all that -
the question of trust

*

i feel the weight of you
the simple fact of your presence
is my anchor

*

the question of timing
i’ve never been good at waiting
neither have you

Friday, February 17, 2017

#NaHaiWriMo 2017 – day seventeen


our second chances
everything we don’t deserve
we fill our pockets

*

words never uttered
the ways we erase ourselves
the backwards glance

*

not paying attention
i allow myself to be fooled
there will be regrets

*

the war of attrition
how often we are enticed
according to taste

Thursday, February 16, 2017

#NaHaiWriMo 2017 - day sixteen


there are no birds
and yet the sky bright and blue
a weight lifting

*

now you must stand firm
it is good to know your measure
take hold of your anchor

*

do not be dissuaded
let them feel the weight of you
hands sure, words true

*

and so we stand here
knowing there really aren’t words
reaching for hope

*

it’s unexpected
the admission of defeat
desire for retreat

Wednesday, February 15, 2017

#NaHaiWriMo 2017 – day fifteen


the relational
the way we move things around
the transactional

*

life is spoken here
some forms of family
involve a circle

*

constant sound of water
the sun pleasant on the face
a measured pace

*

slightly in shadow
the perfect weather for waiting
birds soar overhead

Tuesday, February 14, 2017

#NaHaiWriMo 2017 – day fourteen


yes and again yes
the question is only this
would I still ask you

*

only god can judge me
a statement of confidence
more than an excuse

*

is that all there is?
that’s a relief, then
fewer expectations

*

the knife sharp and deep
necessary but brutal
still looking for home

*

sitting in the sun
embraced by friends and their words
this brings me life

Monday, February 13, 2017

#NaHaiWriMo 2017 - day thirteen


sitting here, your skin
increasingly paper thin
your small hand in mine

*

i sit next to the bed
wait for you to gain your voice
let me be strong

Sunday, February 12, 2017

#NaHaiWriMo 2017 – day twelve


we stand together
so let there be celebration
here is an answer

*

embraced by love
surrounded by the breathing
the peace of it all

*

in the final moment
only one thing matters
did you  love?

Saturday, February 11, 2017

#NaHaiWriMo 2017 – day eleven


surprised by laughter
sitting around the table
the future’s weight

*

the future’s weight
sitting around the table
surprised by laughter

Friday, February 10, 2017

#NaHaiWriMo 2017 – day ten


lie back and lie still
when there don’t seem to be answers
the only thing to do

Thursday, February 9, 2017

#NaHaiWriMo 2017 – day nine


gathered in stillness
there is nothing to be done
just steady breathing

*

halted conversation
unspoken demand stretches
every requirement

*

surprised by beauty
i wanted to say something
my tongue thick and slow

Wednesday, February 8, 2017

#NaHaiWriMo 2017 – day eight


bundled in the arms
of winter, the cold nibbles
at my fingers.

*

sitting and waiting
in the quiet hum of the car
preparing for the day.

*

the coyote stands still
startled by each other’s presence
neither willing to move

Tuesday, February 7, 2017

#NaHaiWriMo 2017 - day seven


if i stretch the words
across this structure, will it
still read as haiku?

*

as light fills the room
a physical pressure
the eyes heavy hands

Monday, February 6, 2017

#NaHaiWriMo 2017 – day six


wind cuts through my coat
as my body tenses up
i set myself for home

*

i settle into bed
my mind continues to wander
where did the day go?

*

i keep myself busy
wonder about the myth of progress
as the day passes

*

the screen flickers
vying for our attention
we all make choices

Sunday, February 5, 2017

#NaHaiWriMo 2017 - day five

moon haloed by ice
the night sky empty of stars
the lure of sleep at home

*

your head on my chest
a comfort i don't deserve
a gift to cherish

Saturday, February 4, 2017

#NaHaiWriMo 2017 - day four


the night is thick
coyotes howling in the dark
i look up at the stars

Friday, February 3, 2017

#NaHaiWriMo2017 - day three

struggling small, brown bird
its wing awkwardly bent back
doesn't make a sound

*

the weight of silence
whisper of sleeve against wood
the unexpected embrace


*

in the midst of grief
such beauty. surrounded by glory
all the golden saints



clouds of incense
the great cloud of witnesses
the room so empty

Thursday, February 2, 2017

#NaHaiWriMo 2017 – day two

mist fills the morning
everything blanketed in frost
the air so still

*

in the art gallery
watercolour of a wave
whispering

Wednesday, February 1, 2017

#NaHaiWriMo 2017 – day one


wave after wave
wind rises from a whisper
to full throated roar

wave gives birth to wave
absorbs all things great and small
gives birth to a new thing

wave upon wave
everything churning
the waters muddy

wave over wave
i am carried back and forth
my feet without purchase

wave chases wave
gravity’s inexorable pull
the shore is a dream

waves become wave
becomes a wall – all that weight
pressure blankets me

wave seeks its freedom
braces itself against me
the spray an entreaty

this is the wave
it is neither friend nor foe
this is the wave