Haiku Series
Judith Ford
Margaret Reid Poetry Contest for Traditional Verse 2008 (view all the winners)
Most Highly Commended
sky fell into lake
drawn down by fog, sky
fell into lake while I slept
eight geese float off shore
water has a voice,
fingers, beating heart, a tone
light drifts down like leaves
sun blooms like a rose
in liquid turquoise garden
listen hard, it sings
tall tufted beach grass
as if long ago, the earth
had sprouted feathers
fog trims lake's hem
last night thunder shook our bed
two dogs took cover
clouds hunched together
for warmth, lay down on the lake
white tigers breathing
lake sparking with light
who holds the many candles
unbreathing, alive
clouds brood on the lake
fretting over lost feathers
scattered on the ground
silver water breathes
pulls back, opens out, unfolds
falls down at my feet
bare branch, open air
bluff over water, fish sleep
beneath wrinkled silk
like hunger
purple skunk cabbage
sharp beaks reach up like birds, like
orchids, like hunger
stone pier, boulders, boats,
clamp down on lake to keep it
from flying away
fog swallows all sound
but surf and the moan of sand
castles collapsing
I try to be here
feet on earth; eyes, ears open
head filled with dry bones
sadness hollows heart
jet trail slits sky wide open
clouds spill down my cheeks
it's hard to just be
leaves, birds, air, light, all silent.
breath is not enough
four horses in field
listened as I wept, concerned
that I'd brought no food
patch of mayflowers
trees snapped in spring storms, white scars
my own broken parts
some days I'm all that
some days nothing nobody
today, a raw nerve
low sun through wreckage
of bare branches finds sumac
and me, holding on
dark dog
dark dog splashes in
black water, dark sky above
wind plays rough with trees
short night walk with dog
lone leaf rattles down driveway
distant church bells chime
walking my two dogs
melting snow, trees above us
a network of sleep
thinking of Mary
new dog leans against my neck
licks tears from my face
formerly good dog
seduced by March thaw, finds trash
irresistible
dog followed me home
just what I need, another
mangy life to save
nude trees climb lake bluff
endless ice-blue lake, grey snow
dog sniffs frozen glove
dog's afraid of rain
thunder, wind, rain falls always,
his eyes wild, he moans
dead dog in water
we walk by full of our lives
this close to the edge
nine gulls stand on shore
dog lies down in lake, smiling
my bare hands grow cold
a prayer of trees
sap rises, leaves breathe
trees emit a kind of prayer
all the birds know this
big wind rubs branches
together, like cricket legs
twigs sing of morning
buds erupt on twigs
swarms of small green wings unfold
trapped, fluttering, loud
shadow branches fall.
low sun burns them onto streets,
warning of winter
trees wade ankle deep
in snow melt, one hawk circles
dog rolls in dead goose
big wind shakes our bones;
old ash sheds fingers, envies
my mittened hands
bare tree limbs, dark net
against pale sky tangling birds
holding clouds aloft
air's frisky with flakes
bare trees like broccoli stalks
pierce a falling sky
lilacs came to term
trees boiled over with green leaves
they're back, so am I
knobby fallen twigs
like my friend's arthritic hands
bent, blooming with pain
rain falling
bike path, rain falling,
Chinese woman does Tai Chi,
wet hair glued to face.
clouds slide over sun
tempting to draw deep meaning
from upcoming rain
rain clatters on road
shards of displaced lake and sea
fall all around me
dusky sky at noon
small weary puddles, stillness
winter storm rising
sharp, new-green leaves pierce
sky as gray as old man's beard;
threads of rain drift down.
leaves after fall rain,
wine-smell of downed apples,
cold edge to morning.
rain for seven days,
clouds press my gardens, lawns glow,
green moss takes tree trunks.
reckless winds, thunder;
my mother would have loved this:
the sky, shattering
rain speckles sand
jack-in-the-pulpits save me
lifeboat made of spring
muffled in blue-grey
scent of rain, red bird singing
I open my door
always returning
your smile reminds me
why I choose to spend my life
always returning
hold still and the world's
great beauty rushes in, waves
break, buds crack open
wind has no real voice
borrows leaf, pine needle, grass
the shape of my ear
this thing that happens
when I am embraced by trees
broken parts put right
it's very simple
on the right road, my heart sings
so I take the left
snow falling at dusk
pulls light from the sky, traps it
sparkling, feathered fire
under all this white
fists, clots, boulders, crypts of snow
sense the hidden stream
fallen trees, ice rind
dry marsh grass, tangled like hair
far off, heron cries
sky of cobbled clouds
too often I don't look up
eyes glued to sidewalk
sandwiched between dog
and your warm body, I can
dream no better dream
