First. Then. From There – A Haiku

At first, not at all.

Then, later on, suddenly.

From there, all at once.

Not Long – A Haiku

We call it ‘Not long’.

Really, though, it is an age.

We should say ‘At last’.

Winter Nights – A Haiku

Winter nights set in

and every moment is

dark, cold and quiet.

Weeps for the Sun – A Haiku

The moon smiles good night,

but she weeps for the sun that

gave himself for her.

Somewhere In The Distance

Like the sound

of a distant waterfall,

every word

echoes,

echoes somewhere,

somewhere

in the distance;

like an old friend,

a reminder,

a whisper in the night;

your voice,

like the sound

of a distant waterfall,

echoes,

echoes

somewhere in the distance.

Waking Late

Waking late

because of you

hardly seems

like a waste.

Good Night – A Haiku

Say ‘good night’ always

just so that you might speak it

into existence.

And Begin

There is

one last pattern,

unstitched.

Let us

pick the needles up

and begin.

Claim

Draw a box

round your feet;

write your name

in the sand.

Stand up,

then speak out;

stake your claim

to this land.

Poet

The word

‘poet’

sits

like an

imposter

on my tongue,

but

from your lips

it sounds

like

gospel.

Hope

Such hope

might fit

through the eye of a needle,

but

so too

do the rays of the sun.

It may feel like

only

a

single

drop,

but that drop

has infinite liquid brothers

by its side.

Such hope

may think itself

as being

only a grain of sand,

but

it once was a mountain

and

it will be

again.

Breaking Through

Right prevails

like a strong wind

breaking through

the trees.

Moss

This world

grew

around

us,

before we even

knew

what was happening;

gathering

like an unrolling stone;

green,

not with youth,

but with

age.

When The World Breathes

When the world breathes

all at once,

everyone can feel

the air,

with all its pressure,

gone at last.

Each Planet

When this universe

came into

being,

each planet

called out

its own name,

and

willed itself into

existence.

Always Time

There is always a

time

in which to say

the words

that need to be spoken;

but

there may not always

be time enough

to say them.

Waiting is an adventure

that may sometimes find you

lost.

There is always a time,

known as now.

From The Table

Somehow

even the more bitter tastes

have not

turned

you away from the table.

Either your palate is

strong

and stubborn

or

you hope

for this meal

as much as you

claim.

Entirely Attached

There

lies a special kind of

detachment;

one

entirely attached to the feeling

it tried to

avoid.

Moonlit Victory

You are

a moonlit victory;

a starlight triumph.

You are the a night

in all its glory.

Thousand – A Haiku

There are a thousand

things which I could say to you

and a thousand more.

As Bright

We walked

in the evening,

together once again,

warm drink and hand

in hand.

Our time:

all comfort

and entertainment and

peace;

all holding on tight

to each other.

We walked in the evening,

to see the lights in the sky,

but even they

weren’t as bright

as the feeling.

When the Waves Came – A Short Story

When the waves came, nothing much was left behind. What once was tall fell to the ground; the luscious became dark – drowned, and later overgrown. The sounds of cities and sparrows were less than a whisper, and the People only whispered, too overcome with fear and shock and sadness.

There was no music anymore: music was reserved for hope and joy. Now, it seemed wrong to revel, to dance, to hum the tunes of The Time Before and tell the tales of what once was. The new Leaders would not allow it; the old ones were long gone.

Far off, there was a place the Remaining could go, if only they could get there. When the sun rose they gathered what little they had left, and began to walk. Some would falter, some would fall, and whatever was left would be their lot; whoever was left would be the New.

The waves would come again and, this time, would leave nothing else behind. It was time to move.

Somewhere To Be – A Short Story

The children were scared; of course, we all were. But we had somewhere to be.

The youth and the elders had finally found some common ground, in the way their shared land seemed to shake underneath them with each new step. All at once, they had found a universal language in their whispers and the things they could not bear to say out loud.

Something like this sneaks up on you, quietly and then all at once.

Naturally, the dark up ahead, a twin sister to the dark left behind, made the journey frightening; the nights cold. It was all we never wanted. The trees were thick, but through them and within them you could remember beauty: the birds (silent, at least for now), a gently trickling infant river, and some burning stars in a far-off place. Of course, they were already dead.

We had thought of ourselves as stars, up to now, and then regretted it. They were already dead, and if we were stars then that would mean –

But not yet; there was still a path, of course, if you looked closely, and we had somewhere to be.

Their Wings

The birds fly

above

the woods

to their

destination,

nothing but

that place

in their minds

and the wind

under their wings.

If you listen

the voice of their

feathers

will come to you

and you

will at last

be calm.

Only Air

Breath;

two,

three –

it’s only air,

only counting;

it should be

simple,

but it’s not.

Sense

Listen,

and you will see;

look hard

so you might feel it;

reach out a hand

and taste this;

with it pressed on your tongue,

you will hear.

Except for the Stars

As the wind howled

through

the trees,

darkness held firm,

except for the stars:

whispers of brightness

and hope;

the idea of warmth,

from so many miles

away.

Cold Nights – A Haiku

If only cold nights

would last forever, we could

keep each other warm.

Waiting For You

Waiting for

you

seems and end-

-less task;

one I wish would

finish.

But does not –

Everything Good

You

are a sound

in a vast silent

cavern;

a ray of light

in the

depths of the wood.

You are warmth

in the

air

of an evening;

the taste of

something – no –

everything

good.