Her Flaxen Hair

                                                                           

water runs full free and fast

flowing down cliffs 

through meadow and marsh

carrying effluent on its back

time rules the hour

wheels turn winds blow

over fields of grain 

swaying like waves

rolling with the tide

and her flaxen hair streamed

like silk ribbons flowing

golden and fair as she rode

in the balmy summer air

she rode across meadows

stretched long and wide

like a dark messenger

on a mission to hell

she paused beside a soft sandy mound

that breathed a sigh 

and a message ushered forth

from deep within its depths

only she understood

then turned mounted her ride

and rode into the wind with abandon

her flaxen hair streaming 

like fine silk ribbons trailing behind

she never looked back

at what was left behind

she rode and her flamen hair

flowed full and free 

on the soft balmy breeze

riding by her side

Beads

Beads                  

beads

on leaf

blossom petal

and bloom

beads 

laced round 

the neck

of my lady love

beads in eyes

on thighs

lips and 

tip of nose

beads 

glistening on skin

running down the middle

of your back

beads

nestled in clefts

where passion came

and was spent

beads

on the cusp

of a tear

hovering on a sigh

beads gathered on

tear-stained window

casement and

onto floor

beads 

that remember

all that was 

and is no more

Fishing

a man 

sits on a bank

dangling a line

over a gentle stream

the line dances

in morning light

a fish is pulled in

lying by his side

someone will eat

well tonight

Four

I

me

my

limited

compass

of

the pretentious

Swan In The Stream

swan

in 

the 

stream

becomes

two

in

one

The Road

if the road is willing

and the way

not too hard

we may meet

at the end 

of the beginning

and start again

A Boat

a boat glides low on water

without making a sound

or leaving a trace

of where it has been

or where it is going

Tactile

you want to

reach out

touch it

clutch it

caress it

possess it

relish each moment

as an ecstatic interlude

woven into the tapestry

of the evolving hours

unfolding in 

linear array

before light and warmth

find refuge in

shadow and shade

On Edge

suspended 

on edge

astride interstices

spanning a web

woven by the master

of disguise

to ensnare

the unaware

by the guise

of surprise

ever vigilant

and aware 

of what

invades his lair

dangling midair

Purpose

if life
fulfills its purpose
it is to know
and remember
what shaped its form
out of all
that came and went
and has remained
within

Red Umbrella

two figures emerge
shrouded in misty haze
strolling the boulevard
huddled as one
entwined in the embrace
of gossamer dreams
drifting beneath the canopy
of a red umbrella
dissolving as silhouettes
into the gray timbre
of late afternoon
with secrets only they can share
suspended in transcendent moments
echoing in footfalls
on a sodden satin way
unfolding before them

Small Matter

no matter
how long
it seems

it's only hard
for a
little while

Yesterday/Today

I thought
yesterday would keep
until tomorrow
absent the sorrows
of today
whose presence
has no end

****
be patient
time has lost
its way

Rain/Water

rain falls in torrents
but the barrel
is never full
******
the pump handle
is broken
the water
in the well
has turned
to wine

A Leaf Descends

                      a
                         leaf
                            descends
                                light
                              as
                            a
                              feather
                                  sketching
                                its
                             image
                                 on
                                   the
                               wind

Black Snake

                                                                     
                                                                               the
                                                                                  small
                                                                                      black
                                                                                         snake
                                                                                       zigzags
                                                                                      left
                                                                                    to
                                                                                  right
                                                                                 tracing
                                                                                  an
                                                                                     S
                                                                                       across
                                                                                          the
                                                                                            floor
                                                                                               one
                                                                                             step
                                                                                           ahead
                                                                                          of
                                                                                            mine
                                                                             

The Fly

                                               you

                                                          can 

                                       swat

                                                                 and

                                             miss

                                                          time

                                    after

                                                        time

                                         while

                                                                    the

                                                    fly

                                            has

                                                            his

                                                                   fling

                                                                 on

                                                          the      

                                                wing

Keep Morning Close

keep morning close
evening stilled
in silence
and peace

Life

life
like sex
is over
before you
know it

What A Life This Is

      what a life this is
                eat
                drink
                sit
                sleep
                observe
                stare
                go
                no
                where
contentment exacts its price

All Is Given

all is given
fully contained within
each time we touch
and become
all of everything

The Future

the future approaches
rattling its sword
secure the door
against approaching knight

                      David Sermersheim

If You Listen

if you listen
to the wind
whisper your name
in the space
between the leaves
you have found
the place that holds
all of everything