staring across the lake
as if she were expecting
a ship to arrive
the mother goose waits
for her mate's return

the spin wheel
pattern of my sleep
gently rocked
by the cradles
of magnolias

icelandic horses
running as they might
on any given day
except for the cloud of ash
slowly heading towards them

For IIya:

from cape cod to miami
the cold waters
have taken their toll
identified by its scar
a manatee survivor

reports of a giant fireball
over the midwest
while I was busy typing
what could have been
my last tanka

A farmer in Wisconsin has turned over a meteorite fragment that hit the roof of his shed:

http://tinyurl.com/y7v5das

over ten years
of tax returns
filed away
how much have I been charged
for wars I don't believe in

abruptly ending
our discussion
the one-way boxing match
of a moth
against the porch light

everything reduced
in the used car lot
the first sales people
to greet us
are a pair of chickens

with roots buried
deeper than a coffin
I can only marvel
at the engineering
of a dandelion

they must have
the patience of job
this crowd
of cherry blossoms
taking in the grackle's song