sometimes i think

leda is my only friend

flying, as she does

toward me night after night

only to fly away night after night

~

in the alleys

and sidewalk cracks

dying weeds tell me it is autumn

the tenor of my thoughts

also tell me it is autumn

~

the nest revealed

by fallen leaves is empty

but for fallen leaves

the chicks are grown and gone

all is quiet

~

an old man catches eels

in stow lake in golden gate park

while lovers row

the man wasn't always old

the lovers weren't always lovers

~

when the sun dips 

into the ocean for the night

the beach air turns chilly

lovers and families pack up and leave 

the sad and mourning stay

~

the wind chimes are insistent

foretelling

a late summer storm

crashing cymbals and thundering timpani

such a racket!

~

the spider in the corner cupboard

has died

of hunger and thirst

all summer she and i were friends

now this

~

another cloudy night

the stars hidden

shining only for themselves

dancing and loving

creating a heavenly hullabaloo 

~

who remains

to guide the old woman across the river

when the time comes

for her to join her ancestors

and her husband

~

green mountain meadows

now white—

wildflowers think it is summer

the wind says otherwise

late summer snowfall

~ 

the day we walked to the bridge

and talked in the mist

was the day we fell in love

was it the bridge, the mist, the day itself

or was it you

~

the friendly chatter

of the open stalls of the chinese markets

calls to me and always has

but no voice calls to me to say

come, you are welcome

~

what are these sounds

coming through the window

we have food aplenty and love

what more could i need

whatever is outside stays outside

~

you look far away

your thoughts are elsewhere

when i was young

i saw a luna moth outside the front door

i don't know why the thought comes to me now

~

last summer we lay

in the shade

of the cottage and kissed

do you remember the heat and the passion

i remember as if it were yesterday

~

sea hares and sea stars

crabs click-clicking

anemones bloom and sway 

somewhere an octopus is watching

from his hidey-hole

~

watching clouds cut the moon

from the porch

there is no sound

until there is—cicadas whir and whir

how could i not hear them

~

it is never silent in the city

it is never still

when we are in bed

i hear your soft breathing

and so much more

~

springs come and go

autumns come and go

why am i not alone

when for so many springs

and so many autumns i was alone

~

on saturday nights

the couple above make love

afterward

the whole apartment seems to sigh

even the moon sighs

~

one by one

the orchid's blossoms fall

for a few days

we float the fuchsia petals in a bowl of water

how could we not

~

i have my own tides

my own rhythms

as the moon tugs me one way

then another

you ride the push and pull of me

~

will we always be 

like city birds

building nests behind neon signs

imagining snowy hills

but never cold

~

when you say my name

i wish it were

as beautiful as yours

as beautiful as your eyes

as beautiful as moonlight on our pillows

~

tonight the city lights

outshine the stars

as we step outside

i make a wish upon the twinkling light

atop the tallest building

~

driving through fog

at point reyes

this chilly afternoon

stopping for coffee 

i wish this day would never end

~

fresh from the ocean

we taste of salt

dolphins ride the combers

an elderly couple gathers seaweed

autumn has come