along the canal

peepers promising spring —

do I dare believe?

this widening gap —

I tell myself our stories

and still you are gone

late night moonlight —

marveling again as the fox

moves over the earth

dogwood blossoms

nearly touching each other —

the curve of her face

grey days

and a longing for change —

she unfolds the map

home with a cold —

melting snow running

down every driveway

low-lying clouds

seeming briefly like mountains  —

first love

finally kicking

the heavy blanket off —

snowdrops in March

Chesapeake House —

protesters gently smiling

at each other

packing for my trip —

I tuck some pussywillow

into my hair

first day of spring —

the end of the lake obscured 

by fast-falling snow

after the ducks

a penciled line of light 

sketched by their wake

running down

the hills of my childhood —

long-gone long hair flying

their first dance, to Satchmo’s

What A Wonderful World —

she takes off her shoes

(Inspired by my friend @BFFox, who participated in my #haikuversary by challenging me to write a haiku w/ the word "Satchmo" in it.)

watching the qala
until they, too, disappear —
from water to mind


(Inspired by a request from friend @Steph_Yin, who asked for a haiku including the word "gala," and helpfully shared this article.)

Wanna play?

Friends, my #haikuversary is coming up on Saturday, March 17th!

I hereby invite you to join me in celebrating the art of haiku.

Here are some ways that you might decide to join in the fun. (Put whatever you decide to share either here in the comments or over on Twitter, where I am @butwait.)

• Poke around in the archives, find a favorite, and share it! Bonus points if you tell me why you like it. (But sometimes it's hard to say why, so no pressure.)
• Find a photo that you think pairs well with one of my haiku, and either tell me about it or create a haiga (image + haiku, e.g. this one)!
• Pick a date that is meaningful to you - just the date, not the year - and let me share a haiku I wrote on that date. Bonus points if you tell me why the date is significant to you.
• Send me a word that you'd like to see me try to incorporate into a haiku (no promises!)
• Tell me about a moment that seemed "haiku-worthy" to you, but that you haven't quite managed to capture in the way you were hoping to
• Share a haiku of your own! (And don't focus too much on the whole 5-7-5 thing.)
• Tell me about your haiku reading practice! Do you come here and read mine, or do you only read them on Twitter? Who else writes haiku that you enjoy?
• Got any other ideas? Last year at least one friend wrote a haiku in response to one of mine, which was lovely and thrilling.

Thank you for considering putting some time and energy into making what is sure to be an already excellent day even sweeter!

we remember, now

that coming down is work too —

leaving the mountain

national walkout —

cars horns in solidarity

under a cold sun

broken promises —

buds looking for a way back

as puddles refreeze

after the storm —

everyone’s story starts

with fallen pine trees

snow in the forecast —

birds sing to one another

while the singing’s good

warming trend —

underneath the bird song

snow banks trickling

torn in two —

the tree that Cedar Lane

was named for

amidst black trunks

broken spear of a lost limb —

still reaching for sky

once we let ourselves

hear what our hearts were missing —

avalanche rumble

snow day planning —

a jar full of buttons,

some strong white thread

redwing blackbirds

their brief songs threading

between the cattails

just checking

to see that the world is still here —

spring’s first turtle

our neighbor’s tree

has torn itself from the earth —

new space for flying

pink petals

blown into a tiny drift —

concentrated April

late night train whistle

pushing through 

the sound of rain