A DOG'S LIFE.

Come down to the lake with me.
Real winter is here at last,
ice crystals and freezing fogs,
the sun so bright it hurts my eyes.

Veils of mist like gossamer silk
drift over snow that blows over ice
where our dogs chase after each other,
making the most of what they have,
be it a stick or a snowbank.

FRESH POND.

Silken waters of the spring-fed pond
tinged to coolness by the summer sun

your reflected light is golden
like glowing fur on the far hills

I look into your mirror
and the years fall away

afternoons of long ago

JUNE FLOWERS.

Full-blown peony,
its slender green neck
bent over by heavy
soft pink blossom
more fragrant than a rose,
yellow heart
hidden and revealed.

Soon the petals bruise
and drop, like petticoats
discarded on the ground,
leaving a sodden mess,
an empty stalk,
leaves of emerald green.