At last

End of September,
Waking to the sound of rain —
The drought is over!

More office senryu

Bleak, sterile white walls;
Projector whispers and whines —
Another meeting.

Climbers

On a chain-link fence,
Working their way through the mesh:
Honeysuckle vines.

Autumnal Equinox

First day of autumn,
And yet no hint in the air:
Summer lingers on.

Persistence

The triumph of life!
Pushing through a pavement crack:
A dandelion.

Green monster

Climbing kudzu vines
Have built a green barrier
At the forest edge.

The show's on

With her tail lashing,
A cat watches a lizard
Through the storm door glass.

To the Teenagers (a senryu)

You must be joking!
You can't get up by yourself,
And think you're mature?

Choices

I stand at a fork.
One path may never be walked;
The other, my fate.

Cheerful daydream

A cheerful daydream:
Butterfly with ragged wings
Lights on a fence post.

Night shadows

A rippling shadow:
Leaves whispering their secrets
Under a full moon.

Bad apples

“The apples at school
Have the flavor of cardboard,”
My son said to me.

Wrinkly senryu

After bending over:
When she stands, her skirt is bunched
In her cleft behind.

Fire moon

This September moon
Has drank from the sun’s bottle —
Shining bright orange!

Looking back

Somewhere in my mind:
A young man, laughing, happy.
Who I might have been?

Approaching harvest

Under leaden skies;
Autumn wind blowing southward
Wheat stalks wave and sway.

Inspired by one of David's photos.

Huh?

A troubling sight:
Three helicopters landing
Next to the highway.

Hazy

Thick September haze —
Morning sun struggles to pierce
Fog of sky and mind.

Baby-sitter

Though seeming to sleep,
Mother cat keeps careful watch
Over her kittens.

Advice (a senryu) #2

I told my daughter:
“Boys will tell you anything;
Ask me how I know.”

Morning air

This crisp morning air!
Promise of afternoon heat —
But hints of autumn.

Familiar territory

The man’s steady hand
Traces the mounds and hollows
Of his wife’s smooth skin.

Cat's eyes

Like glowing embers
Flickering by the roadside
This September night.

Waiting

Traffic dwindling now
Late summer sun going down —
She will join me... soon.

To Richard Wright

Memory captured:
Ailing black man writes a verse
Spies watch him in France.

Change of weather

After so much rain
Now comes weeks of dry weather:
I water the plants.

Recess

Playground in winter.
Cruel boys taunting, throw snowballs —
Nobody knows why.

Growth

O fragrant green herbs!
A summer of sun and rain
Has been good to you!

Advice (a senryu)

I said to my son:
“You must understand the rules
To break them right.”

Fair warning

Blog spammers, know this:
You will always rue the day
We meet in person.

Young lust

Those strong deep kisses,
Naked in the summer sun
Streaming through the grove.

The great chase

On a sandy beach:
A naked little boy runs
Chasing sandpipers.

Guy line

Beyond easy reach:
A strand of spider web glows
In summer moonlight.

Hungry

Smell of fresh baked bread!
Teenage boys hover nearby —
“Just one slice, okay?”

Bonfire

Fire in a cage —
Holding back the winter chill
This New Year's Eve night.

Hunter

From a power line
A hawk surveys his field:
Swoops down, catches mouse.

Worship

A Sunday morning!
Church bells calling the faithful
To the house of God.

Sunbeams

Hazy fall morning.
Sunlight filtering through trees
Paints the air yellow.

Mom Moo

In a green pasture:
Cows are plaintively calling
for their lost children.

Blog spam

Unpleasant odors:
Spammer crapping in comments
Reaching for mallet.

Knock knock

At the lunch table
A cat asks to come inside:
Tick of claws on glass.

Out driving

Cool late-summer night
Headlights splash over the road:
Memories of youth.

Mower or less

Late summer sunshine:
Mower roaring past windows
Smell of fresh cut grass.

Cooler

September morning
Clear blue sky, bright cold sunshine —
Looking for sweater.

Migration

A clear autumn sky
Ragged vee, flying southward:
Sound of geese calling.

On faith

Faith is of the heart.
Is faith truly faith at all
When legislated?

In a certain ditch

Mother mourns her son.
Commander responsible
Drives by unheeding.

Numb

On this cooling night
Seeing images and stories:
Passed beyond feeling.

September

Misty, chilly air
Soft sunlight over treetops —
Autumn is coming.