On the hydrangeas

the weight of the morning sun

the evening sun


---Otsuyu


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