The sky promises rain –
finally at evening
a few drops fall
You’d think I’d learn by now
not to expect so much
****
clear days lie ahead
or so they said, but night neared
and rain poured down
my expectations fled
along with the fading light
JDG
Tankas, Take Two
i water flowers
nature gives a helping hand
watering them too
they take their fill, not knowing
where their next drink will come from
****
butterflies gather
on mounds of gold – bees come too
dining together
they table their differences
and sip from the same large cup
JDG
Namaste
It’s easy to miss the divine
in you and the
divine in me.
We get so caught
by our busyness and snagged by
all that’s wrong. May
I be steady.
May I take the
time to simply pause and breathe,
to look around,
to see and say
Namaste.
JDG
Tanka Thoughts
as I round the bend
this Friday my nose twitches
is that fresh-mowed grass
I smell a weekend free
to play, to float, to just be
****
when the new puppy came
Jimmy, the dog in residence,
showed his dominance –
he took his treat and dropped it
at the interloper’s feet
****
willow, they say you are weeping
what if it’s more than that –
you could be reaching
out to heaven AND earth
as the wise often do
JDG
Tanka At Twilight
cotton candy clouds
slowly dissolve in evening sky
down by the pond we rock
my granddaughter and I
her painted nails glistening
******
from the dark, light,
gentle as a feather, falls
– a hand writes
a hatchling
peers forth
JDG
Sometimes My Mind
Sometimes my mind flies all around
just looking for
a place to land.
It can only
spend a little time in spacious
air before it
tries to ground
itself in the
hefty weight of words. Sometimes though,
through practice or
through accident,
it slips words’ knots
and is set free.
JDG
Tanka Talk
skies darken
leaves hurl from leaning trees
summer storm
pursed lips, narrow eyes
road work ahead
****
first light
not even a breeze
storm blown over
gentle silence
road repaired
****
entrenched in their views
neither listens or gives in
what can be done
when two stubborn souls meet
dig where the ground is soft
****
sunless sky
summer mist, gentle breeze
clock screams
I yell back
rocky start of day
JDG
Just One Small Feather
A tiny sparrow came calling
today, a small
feather in his
beak. Looking at
us, he seemed to say, “Don’t worry
if you seem small
and the task before
you seems so big.
It all begins when you take one
feather and move
on from there. Just
one small feather.”
JDG
Tankas At Play
trying to write as
grandkids chatter
seeking refuge
amid flash and thunder
everyday life
****
dog lies curled on chair
cat on bed stretches and sighs
sunrise or sunset
we meet at border’s edge
begin our long walk home
JDG
Summer Dance
Distant thunder promises more
rain, but light on
trees at evening’s
close balances
sound with light, signaling a dance
of elements.
Down below we
watch and wait. Which
will take the lead? Maybe they
will simply dance
away, fading
into the night.
JDG
