Beachcombing for the Landlocked

chill

2012-02-13T17:38:00.000Z

after the phone call a chill that has nothing to do with winter

regrets

2012-02-13T17:35:00.004Z

stamping the snow from my boots some regrets i'll never be able to shake

graffiti

2012-02-13T17:33:00.002Z

graffiti snapping an icicle from the rail-bridge shadows

blink

2012-02-13T17:32:00.003Z

across the frozen lake

my binoculars find sunlight in the winter reeds

and the measured blink of the fox

full moon

2012-02-08T14:18:00.000Z

full moon i should bang on the sky with a broom handle

slow thaw

2012-02-08T14:15:00.002Z

slow thaw the sunlit drip of birdsong in this melting world

receding

2012-02-08T14:06:00.001Z

receding

with the snow

the tracks

of creatures

we've never seen

icebound

2012-02-05T16:14:00.001Z

icebound a boat called Freedom

waiting for snow

2012-02-05T16:12:00.002Z

waiting for snow the recipe calls for three bashed cardamons

my voice

2012-02-05T16:00:00.002Z

my voice in the lake ice a bubble

lake ice

2012-02-05T16:00:00.000Z

From under the lake ice, the sun winks at me. I think.
But then, I never could tell when I was being flirted with.

flotilla

2012-01-12T06:22:00.000Z

a flotilla

of swans

such warmth

as the day

can muster

a grey heron

2012-01-11T21:00:00.000Z

a grey heron

steps among

the winter reeds

the bleakness

in my heart

pressed flowers

2012-01-07T06:55:00.001Z

pressed flowers the questions it's too late to ask

new year's eve

2011-12-31T19:59:00.002Z

another

new year's eve

in the life

i haven't always

been in love with

year's end

2011-12-31T19:58:00.002Z

year's end

the world pays

no heed to us

backwater

swans

failing light

2011-12-31T19:55:00.002Z

failing light reading the stone wall's lichen braille

winter river

2011-12-31T19:54:00.003Z

winter river the cormorant surfaces again beyond its ripple

fading light

2011-12-26T21:42:00.002Z

fading light above the homeward path yellow gorse

year's end

2011-12-26T21:41:00.001Z

year's end the frayed blue rope hanging from a low branch

winter solstice

2011-12-24T08:28:00.002Z

winter solstice a flicker of yellow forsythia

so, what've you done this year

2011-12-24T08:26:00.001Z

puffing themselves up again round robins

drying

2011-12-22T22:02:00.002Z

drying on the line ..... raindrops

shortest day

2011-12-21T23:06:00.002Z

shortest day downing the last of our scotch

drifting

2011-12-17T11:16:00.001Z

drifting towards the end of the year woodsmoke

christmas shoppers

2011-12-12T20:50:00.000Z

christmas shoppers the many jostling heads of the balloon seller

woolly minded

2011-12-10T23:02:00.001Z

woolly minded i keep forgetting the names of clouds

rain

2011-12-10T22:37:00.001Z

hearingbeforeseeingbeforefeeling the first few drops of rain

scrolling past

2011-12-06T21:32:00.001Z

scrolling past your number in my phone the year since you died

low sun

2011-12-01T00:58:00.001Z

low sun ringing the scrap-metal man's handbell

jupiter

2011-11-28T07:39:00.001Z

jupiter on the long road home a swaying lantern

autumn days

2011-11-15T19:02:00.001Z

autumn days drifting from text to marginalia

the distance

2011-11-15T19:00:00.001Z

the distance between us the closeness binary stars

nothing to read

2011-11-08T07:41:00.001Z

nothing to read but my palimpsest self

november rain

2011-11-04T17:29:00.003Z

november rain a child's swing sways the weight of wet leaves

health & safety

2011-11-04T07:10:00.000Z

a spill of moonlight on the stair (someone could slip on that)

one of these days

2011-11-02T19:28:00.003Z

one of these days I'll learn the difference between mountains and clouds

pumpkin soup

2011-11-02T07:52:00.002Z

pumpkin soup by candlelight my flickering orange grin

pumpkin seeds

2011-10-30T20:24:00.002Z

pumpkin seeds the roasting crackle of distant fireworks

undulating cloud

2011-10-25T18:53:00.002+01:00

undulating cloud an acorn in the squirrel's pause

pouring milk

2011-10-18T07:42:00.002+01:00

pouring milk tendrils of honeysuckle reach out from a dream

ah! calligraphy

2011-10-17T21:22:00.002+01:00

nothing to read ... ah! pavement calligraphy the first few drops of rain

waning moon

2011-10-17T21:20:00.001+01:00

waning moon our neighbour speaks of her loneliness

no stars

2011-10-16T08:49:00.001+01:00

no stars but a few small holes in the arbour roof

debt crisis

2011-10-14T22:36:00.000+01:00

debt crisis even the moon's light is borrowed

october sunrise

2011-10-14T22:34:00.002+01:00

a half-deflated ball in the long grass october sunrise

the distance

2011-10-13T07:26:00.000+01:00

the distance between stars the silence between notes

stepping

2011-10-12T16:42:00.001+01:00

stepping into a pool of moonlight wild swimmer

scarcely a thought

2011-10-11T22:28:00.003+01:00

scarcely a thought in my head but 100 billion neutrinos

however the planets

2011-09-29T17:12:00.003+01:00

however the planets align a stack of pumpkins

no moon

2011-09-29T17:11:00.003+01:00

no moon again i find myself wordless with so much to say

it's too late

2011-09-28T22:57:00.003+01:00

it's too late like starlight i should have set out earlier

the spiders

2011-09-27T16:47:00.000+01:00

the spiders mostly in his head autumn night ... mare

on the apple

2011-09-25T18:46:00.000+01:00

on the apple she picks for me an earwig

autumn equinox

2011-09-25T18:44:00.003+01:00

autumn equinox what i want to remember what i need to forget

half moon

2011-09-19T19:08:00.003+01:00

half moon in a blue sky blue dragonfly

this life

2011-09-11T15:10:00.002+01:00

this life the shooting star i missed

in a glass case

2011-09-11T15:04:00.001+01:00

in a glass case look my collection of clouds

under a rainbow

2011-09-11T15:01:00.002+01:00

under a rainbow the world both real and not

i am ...

2011-08-30T10:05:00.006+01:00

i am cloud shadows skimming the water

no chance

2011-08-30T10:04:00.001+01:00

no chance to say goodbye summer's gone

a coastal walk

2011-08-26T19:38:00.002+01:00

a coastal walk to sort my thoughts out longshore drift

stony beach

2011-08-26T19:34:00.003+01:00

stony beach the constant erosion by waves of bickering families

sunless day

2011-08-26T19:33:00.002+01:00

this sunless day a crab net dropped from the harbour wall

the distance

2011-08-26T19:32:00.001+01:00

the distance to the bay's horizon 17 masts

the length

2011-08-20T16:01:00.000+01:00

the length of the chainlink shadows yellow butterfly

dragonflies

2011-08-19T17:00:00.009+01:00

dragonflies the heat between downpours neon blue

A version of this is included in Dragonfly Dreams, a wonderful collection of Dragonfly haiku, tanka and art
curated by Melissa Allen at her blog, Red Dragonfly. Visit here.

ghosts now

2011-08-19T16:52:00.002+01:00

ghosts now my own black dog and the scars from its maulings

(metaphorical dog literal scars metaphysical mauling)

water striders

2011-08-12T20:20:00.007+01:00

water striders ever between worlds i make my way

this thought

2011-08-12T20:18:00.012+01:00

this thought no more than that drifting thistledown

lakeside

2011-08-12T20:17:00.000+01:00

lakeside among the birdcalls an angler's nokia ringtone

counting the spots

2011-08-10T18:36:00.002+01:00

counting the spots on these ladybugs ... YAHTZEE !

cloud shadows

2011-08-06T22:41:00.005+01:00

but i'm not a mind reader cloud shadows crossing the headland

hoverflies

2011-08-01T15:13:00.006+01:00

hoverflies i wonder what to do first

dune grasses

2011-07-29T08:12:00.005+01:00

dune grasses somehow i'll hold it all together

a white butterfly

2011-07-28T17:17:00.002+01:00

a white butterfly heads out to sea spindrift

a day on the beach

2011-07-28T10:59:00.009+01:00

a day on the beach cloud castles above the dunes

deadheading

2011-07-26T09:20:00.002+01:00

deadheading the summer roses an earlier dusk

event horizon

2011-07-24T21:21:00.002+01:00

event horizon the slow circling of the light pull

from distant stars

2011-07-22T19:27:00.002+01:00

from distant stars the past arrives travelling light

deadnettles

2011-07-22T19:26:00.003+01:00

deadnettles asleep, awake i've stopped dreaming

turning the earth

2011-07-20T18:12:00.001+01:00

turning the earth a thought comes a thought goes

sun between clouds

2011-07-19T18:09:00.003+01:00

sun between clouds on a dead bird the flies flash blue

in this wild garden

2011-07-19T18:08:00.003+01:00

in this wild garden the quiet dignity of apples

the rattle

2011-07-15T21:50:00.002+01:00

the rattle of poppy heads how gossip starts

the weight of clouds

2011-07-15T21:45:00.007+01:00

the weight of clouds i cannot hold this sky up on my own

among the dead leaves

2011-07-15T21:45:00.005+01:00

among the dead leaves one that turns into a moth

a rose thorn

2011-07-15T21:44:00.003+01:00

a rose thorn under my nail howling dogs

first light

2011-07-15T21:43:00.001+01:00

first light pruning the palest yellow roses

what's left of the light

2011-07-15T21:41:00.004+01:00

what's left of the light a lone pheasant stalks the allotment

just something

2011-07-08T20:07:00.001+01:00

just something in my eye ? weeping willow

summer showers

2011-07-06T19:35:00.000+01:00

summer showers these days even the rain has a short attention span

bindweed flowers

2011-07-06T19:34:00.000+01:00

bindweed flowers now two white butterflies braiding the sunlight

summer night

2011-07-03T16:29:00.004+01:00

summer night ascent of honeysuckle to the hazy stars

its thorn

2011-06-30T21:23:00.001+01:00

its thorn blooms in my flesh blood-red rose

solstice-tide

2011-06-26T08:52:00.000+01:00

solstice-tide the small hours writing notes in a narrow margin

since he retired

2011-06-25T18:13:00.002+01:00

since he retired the neglected topiary of his days

each haiku

2011-06-22T17:15:00.003+01:00

each haiku signing earth's guestbook before i leave

summer days

2011-06-21T14:18:00.000+01:00

summer days all the ad libs i've been rehearsing

what they tell us

2011-06-20T17:13:00.001+01:00

what they tell us about the war ornamental poppies