#NaHaiWriMo 2017 – day twentyeight

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

#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

#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

#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

#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

#NaHaiWriMo 2017 – day twentythree

the trick is to know
when you should use questions 
and when statements

#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

#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

#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

#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

#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

#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

#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

#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

#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

#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

#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?

#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

#NaHaiWriMo 2017 – day ten

lie back and lie still

when there don’t seem to be answers

the only thing to do

#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

#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

#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

#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

#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

#NaHaiWriMo 2017 - day four

the night is thick

coyotes howling in the dark

i look up at the stars

#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

#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

#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