We and the sun, high

as lords, as our frisbee, white,

whirling to my hand—

volleyball, cap/gown

cake, pavilion, dogs, friends, a

baby, relatives—

Another photo:

my grandparents and me, one

final time. Happy.

Photographs are leaves:

colorful and aged, what was,

pressed into a book.

Through my window, snow

frames cardinals, searching bare

vines for frozen grapes.

Brought into this world

With no say in the matter

many years ago

A child scrapes his knees

Treats the wound in a puddle

Friends laugh, so do I

No more jobs in town

Faithless are the once faithful

The lifeblood drained

I’m falling in love

Thirty hours of pain, and my

Wife births my whole world

An old man, am I

In the mirror, he looks tired

A flash, and it’s gone

True love's conception

Perfection, by God's own hands

When two became one

She learned so quickly--

Absorbed with insatiable

Curiosity

Eventually

She would come to find her stride

School, driving... the boy

I thought him lacking

But she saw something in him

Eros and Ludus

I'm glad she found love

She lived life passionately

I miss her so much

a concept, finite:

Sin Cuentas withheld in All

~ wave & particle .

I am I am I

in Palindrome lineage

---Río of Being

...Encantas, silence

the world in one thou' and song

Leaves and needles crawl

Metamorphoses

belong to the Corazón,

bottled, blot; sparrows

what clouds hold heavy,

(in wind all is traveling)

una bebida

*Translation of Spanish & Author's Note:

aliento means breath

(the foreignness I believe speaks for itself)

Haiku 1: Sin Cuentas is the Infinite

the thought is of all as a point in motion, one in many/many in one

we begin (and end) cellular, a spark of light as if--

hence Einstein's wave and particle, illustrating a duality of Existence

(Sin Cuentas is in fact the inspiration "point" of my poem. I ran across it in a children's book "Papi, How Many Stars in the Sky?" and was struck by the Sin in Spanish meaning "without" and Cuentas translates literally to "accounts," but idiomatically the translation is "the Infinite" and so this powerful (in my perception!) link to being born without account of Sin, and Infinitely so! --that is how my mind ticks---in strange gestalt :)

Haiku 2: The dawning of Awareness, I

I as a beautiful most concise Palindrome of thought.

To me it is redundant to say I am, as I is enough. It already exists once marked as line.

It can only grow, or stop, i.e. die. So, again in my perception, the continuity suggests age, and visually a lineage, as that line may be passed. Hence, the subsequent imagery of the river; and a nod to Leonard Cohen, inevitably, as he uses this metaphor liberally, and with apt sexual overtone.  Río is River in Spanish, but it harkens to the ear like Royalty, a sound regal and proud. Thus, awareness as a life-giving force, internally, and in generations to come.

Haiku 3: Encantas is to sing.

In truth, I vaguely recalled it as Enchantas and was very hopeful that I recalled correctly, as might be obvious, for the "enchant us" that is alluded to-- I was wrong in that the h was not there, but that made me think of a gap of silence, and I was delighted with that insight! The contrast seems so fitting, as we grow to appreciate our ability to act, and to refrain from action. Thus, turning to the world inside oneself (thou) and outside (in song).

I was charmed by combination of one and thousand, as a single unit/ many simultaneously, and again how thousand can be abbreviated to thou, bringing in the notion of one "you," you, being either singular, or plural. Leaves and needles crawl, is an illustration mentally of the passage of time, evoking I hope, music, writing, visual arts, and in the changing of seasons from the emergence of these, literally, upon the trees in Spring, to their departure in the Fall. (*If you're picking up connotations of ink and vinyl, that is very astute! and intentional.)

Haiku 4: The key in this one is Corazón, meaning the Heart-- and I adore how much it reverberates in English as the core zone!! To me this the center, poetically, where all our changes personally occur. True growth, as it were, spiritually, emotionally-- our point of maturity. The content of our Hearts is bottled; it spills, like Rorschach blot tests, and we can let these visions fly as sparrows (i.e. like live arrows) if we let them go (from the cocoon). The incongruity of the release of a bird, rather than butterfly, did not escape me-- the idea is not to limit our Imagination.

Haiku 5: we are mostly air and water, and emotion, and this I hoped to convey in the verse, "what the clouds hold heavy," much as when we say the sky is pregnant, or the sky will break, and rain will come like tears, heaven sent in the winds (of change). And so, the suggestion of "bebida," which to the English ear suggests a baby, but is in Spanish in fact a drink, and in this case the sip of a final breath (of life/death). To optimistically end:

"Cheers!" to a life (well) lived.

*As a personal aside: I chose the Spanish, because my second Mom is in Mexico and her birthday is coming up so I thought I would share this with her <3

Ancient roots take hold,

Tiny seed to growing oak,

Life's journey unfolds.

Youth's branches stretch wide,

Reaching for dreams in the sky,

Unfurling with pride.

Maturity's bark,

Weathered by time's gentle touch,

Stories etched within.

Autumn leaves descend,

Whispering tales of seasons,

Nature's final call.

Silent in slumber,

Beneath the moon's watchful eye,

The cycle renews.

Born to this world's stage,

Innocence and wonder bloom,

Life's first steps taken.

Youth's fervent embrace,

Dreams like stars in boundless skies,

Time's tapestry weaves.

Midlife's sunlit path,

Responsibilities weigh,

Purpose carved in stone.

Autumn leaves descend,

Reflection in fading light,

Age's wisdom gained.

Twilight whispers soft,

Curtain falls, yet spirit soars,

Cycle finds its close.

abrupt burst of pain

loss, bewilderment, anger

touch, warmth, comfort, peace;

learning, blossoming

developing, flourishing

trying, becoming;

plan, hope, work, suffer

yearn, dream, fail, succeed, repeat

build, strengthen, worry;

guide, mentor, relax

recline, watch, wait, remember

begin to wither;

lasting loss looming

light dimming, dark consuming

sweet oblivion

I listened in peace,

To muffled whispers of dreams.

I was with her then.

I detached, dreamless,

In her palm, I rest my head,

With her, I am still.

I grow to her size,

My thoughts, hers, in parallel,

I grow to her age,

I miss her more now

More than imaginable,

More than she could dream.

I listen with love now,

I rest my head on soft, cold pillow,

Now, I am still.

Intermittent sound.

I feel the coldness of the sunlight.

Movements draw attention.

One in front of the other.

I gather momentum wrecklessly.

The system asks so much.

She is my hope.

I find joy in laughter.

Broken I mourn times takings.

Golden years bring no peace.

I search rubble for treasure.

Yet I ready my bed.

It's cold again.

Memories resigned as stolen.

I'm afraid of what's next.

First breath, dawn's embrace,

Amidst city hum and glow,

A new story starts

Youth, a fervent blaze,

Chasing dreams down city streets,

Stars in fleeting days.

Love, deep and profound,

Whispers shared in candlelight,

Time's embrace grows tight.

Years blur, memories fade,

Yet the heart remembers beats,

Echoes of past flames.

As dusk looms nearer,

In the dance of love and loss,

Soul seeks the cosmos.