A straining heater,
so erratic it almost 
sounds natural

 

from small yellow buds,
Spring enters my nose,
borne by near-freezing air

 

the pedestrian's whistling,
though joyful and earnest,
could not be located in or connected to 
anything in the Western canon.

 

a tree trunk full
of carved initials:
no patterns form.

a crossword puzzle,

completed by 
still-imitating 
three-year olds.

 

 

mature moss --
its dignity, recognized --
left undisturbed

 

sitting court
in the nursing home's 
parking lot

his motorized wheelchair
a portable throne

 

 

the way 
their footsteps 
slow

when 
neither of them 
wants to

part

 

 

Paper-thin mushrooms--
like old carefully-sorted love notes --
line an ancient dead tree trunk.

 

hopping over
sidewalk rivulets
of unknown provenance

 

a suspicious patch 
of greener grass

wait--
suspicious or auspicious?