moon and star themselves
end the fast

one hundred and one haiku
another start

honey bees
pollinating the lavender
yawning cat

a flock of geese
fly into a power line
and light the night sky

grey clouds
reflected in a wet beach
seagulls

so let the rain
bounce at this bench
feet pulse tired

pre- Irene shift
doe huddles under truck
in the pelting rain

hissing tyres
on the road outside
hissing cats

detour by the public garden
to get back to the office
- late-summer flowers

***

crochet par le square
pour regagner le bureau
fleurs de fin d'été

breezy day
brings intermittent sunshine
cumulus clouds

next door's cat
in the dry patch of the garden
ours bristles

fumbling through
three currencies to pay
for a lollipop

morning commute
one shade lighter than my car
bug on the bumper

reds and yellows
appear in the hedgerow
fat blackberries

the old school closed  -
only the bees
murmuring a lesson

water drips
from lupin seedheads
weak sunlight

quick touches of open palm
faces delight

twenty years today
nuptial hiss and bliss

the movie cry freedom
on my wedding day

problems of three decades
all resolved this day

dream thoughts of Providence
wishes do come true

vision of the kingdom
at construction site

morning puttering
spider strenghtens its web base
on the potato vine

spent buddleia
glittering in morning sunshine
a spider's web

thistle seeds
become fairy horses
to my child's eyes

plums fall
food for slugs and ants
drunk wasps

morning air
bringing in the scent of lavender
the cat

sprinkles
waylay the brutal heat
talk about comfort
--------------
------
..(C) 2011 Spiros Zafiris
..channeled; spirit Ram
---------------------

interstate highway
a saffron butterfly
keeps in the median

(Asahi, August 19, 2011)

evening commute-
low hanging fog
creeps past the street lights

pool edge -
my footprints
half-evaporated

***

au bord de la piscine
mes empreintes de pas
à demi évaporées

a chorus
of neighbourhood dogs
cold shower

weekend at last-
I pour the playground sand
from her shoes

rose petals spreading
at the feet
of the autumn bride

dappled shade
beneath the apple tree
windfalls

walking to plant floor
a butterfly flits by
as I head to office

pear crop
the old tree bent over
shelter

the topmost branch
makes us wish for wings
then, we simply gaze
-----------------
-------------
..(C) 2011 Spiros Zafiris
..channeled; spirit Ram
-----------------------

north winds

tease the edge of summer --

women lug bags of yarn

twilight clouds

like old cotton shirts  --

slowly I slip off the role of parent

midshift-
enjoying the cool moonlight
birdsong serenade

pigeons
amplified by chimney pots
morning

soggy sunday
feeling like I'm back in
Matsuyama monsoons

yellow buds
on the mahonia
purple acer leaves

first day of school
the crape myrtle trees
heavy with bloom

morning dew
stretched across a field
my footprints

summer breeze
the ground littered
with tree seeds

morning shadows
flicker over cut grass
next door's cat

backcover -
the blood
of the mosquito


***

quatrième
de couverture -
le sang du moustique

ignore
the waterfall's mist
she loves you
-----------
---------
..(C) 2011 Spiros Zafiris
..channeled; spirit Ram
---------------

blackberries
my lips stained
with summer

all colors candles
on the birthday cake:
summer butterfly

the same shade
my dragon wing begonias
and bruises on my hand

light rain
carried in on a cool breeze
the scent of cut grass

apple tree
shaken by the cold wind
maple leaves

blackberries
sweetened by the drought
leafless gooseberry

morning sun
scattered by willow branches
collared doves

why call it
heat wave--better, banjo
string melter
--------
----
..[C] 2011 Spiros Zafiris
..channeled; spirit Ram
--------------

next morning-
some young squirrels
make it rain again

1/
washing dishes
after a dinner for two
the hissing from the sink
sounds like nice words
we no longer mean to say

membersihkan piring
setelah makan malam berdua
desis dari pencucian
bagai kata-kata mesra
yang tak lagi kita ucapkan

2/
let me be
as she told me in anger
i noticed
the rose in the vase
withering petal by petal

tinggalkan aku
saat ia berucap marah
aku sadari
mawar dalam vas mengering
kelopak demi kelopak

3/
in my solitary garden
grasses mown last month
it's now overgrown
watered with hope and dreams
i can only let it go

di taman terasing
rumput yang dipotong bulan lalu
kini tumbuh liar
disiram harap dan impian
yang hanya bisa kuikhlaskan

end of nap -
mistral begins
again


***

fin de sieste -
le mistral
recommence

a peach rose blooms
above the hedgerow
blackberries

dead-headed buddleias
present new flower heads
morning glory

dry lips
heat wave commanded to cool--
then, more, "On second thought"

-------------
------
[C] 2011 Spiros Zafiris
--------------------

Fourth Monday this week
extra time in the garden
before heading to work

lupin spikes
turning to seed
poppy-head rattles

after rain
air moves through the house
fresh and cool

SFH - Day 3
steps quicken
as I leave the plant

spattering water
from the broken gutter
the dog's wet fur

humid afternoon-
swerving to miss a squirel
that's slow crossing the street

sultry heat
in the sodium-lit street
a screech owl

lavender stalks
dip under the weight of bees
chives

in a few jumps
from one silence to another
the hare of dawn

***

en quelques bonds
d'un silence à l'autre
le lièvre de l'aube

rose hips
among the brambles
green haws