Ecclesiastes: A Solo Shisan

Ecclesiastes

Overcast morning,
The sound of two crows cawing
In the windless warmth

Dew upon the Douglas Fir
Seen through the venetian blinds

After a moment
He returns to his laptop
To check his email

***
Rolling out of a driveway,
The neighbor’s new S.U.V.

Bright in the moonlight
Of the waxing gibbous moon
Keeping track of time

Her mother-in-law’s birthday
Coincides with golden leaves

***
At the gift shop
Rows and rows of greeting cards
For all occasions

Reading Ecclesiastes
The minister takes comfort

Even though the snow
Lies in drifts upon the ground
And the sky is gray

***
Unexpectedly the mist
Rises in the warm March air

Around the plum tree
A few petals have fallen
From a few branches

Two friends have to acknowledge
That they are now far apart

Ballad: A Solo Shisan

Dawn appears slowly
Breaking through the morning clouds
Rays of golden light

A few brown leaves remaining
On the branches of the oaks

Cars are briefly parked
In the strip-mall parking lot
With three stores for rent

***
Two teenagers in first love
Walking slowly home from school

A blast of cold wind
Someone closes a window
Some dogs are barking

The full moon high in the sky
A helicopter hovers

***
“What is that about?”
She glances out the window
And asks her husband

Neighbors peer over the fence
At the blooming cherry tree

Impermanent things,
Like mountains and galaxies
Speaking to our heart

***
From years ago a ballad
Sung today for her children

In the noontime heat
Under the shade of a tree
At the edge of town

He takes a well-deserved nap
The first one in a long time

A Single Blossom: A Solo Shisan

Santa Cruz Harbor,
The sound of the barking seals
In the morning fog

Summer heat pushes people
To the California coast

Watching the sunset,
Newlyweds are holding hands
On the balcony

***
A power outage has occurred,
But nobody seems to mind

The moon is rising
Over the distant mountains
In the cool fall air

She adjusts the thermostat
To a much lower setting

***
"We should concentrate.
We are blowing our budget.
Where is it going?"

He puts the folders away
And gazes out the window

Relentless winds blow,
Whistling through the power lines
Past the frozen pond

***
A diner prepares coffee
In the early morning light

The Hawthorn blossoms,
White, with a tinge of yellow,
Bright against the leaves

She plucks a single blossom
And places it in her hair

Long Life: A Solo Shisan

Thick smoke fills the air
From hundreds of wildfires
In the late June heat

The sky has the strangest tint
Like something seen in a dream

The old photograph
Doesn't match her memory
Of her wedding day

***
Dry leaves, tumbling in the wind,
Behind the large speeding truck

Mixing with the sound
Of the flourescent full moon
High in the clear sky

On the patio some friends
Share some old familiar tunes

***
Icicles glisten,
Catching the first rays of light
On Sunday morning

He sips a cup of coffee
Before the children wake up

Reconnoitering,
Walking slowly from room to rooom,
The old family cat

***
Through the small open window
A warm breeze carries fresh scents

Of the apple tree
Left over from the orchard
That used to be here

Grandmother tells the story
Of her grandmother's long life

The Wanderer: A Solo Shisan

Still warm, 2 a.m.;
Deep night is another world,
An owl on a branch

Seven oak trees in the field
And the surrounding dry grass

From the canvas bag,
Which she always has with her,
She removes her lunch

***
In the cafeteria
Of the large office building

Janitors clean up
Under the light of the moon
In the high window

Moth wings that are dry as dust
Caught in ancient spider webs

***
The collapsing house
In a town that the young leave
The sound of the wind

Sub-freezing temperatures,
Ice here and there on the streets

“I am tired of this.
You always want to argue.
You go. I’ll stay here.”

***
A few petals slowly fall
From the blooming apple tree

Beside the old farm,
In a still rural section
Of a mid-west State

The wanderer registers
At yet another motel

Sky River: A Solo Shisan

Sky River

A steady headache
It must be the endless heat
Day after long day

The Perfection of Patience
Is difficult to achieve

Dust from the mountain
Settles on the valley floor
And the constant wind

***
With the setting of the sun
The Rabbi reads Tehillum

The full moon rises
Above the city skyscape
Angels are watching

Tides of time upon the earth
Species appear and vanish

***
Temperature dropping,
Ice thick upon the window,
The silent t.v.

On the couch an open book
In your eyes a memory

They are holding hands
Just like thirty years ago
When they first dated

***
Plum and crocus are blooming
As shifting winds melt the snow

"Let's all take a brake,"
Says the English Professor,
"Just a few minutes."

A heron watches the sky
On the surface of the river

Rapid Sunrise: A Solo Shisan

It's warm this morning
And the sun rose rapidly
In the cloudless sky

An airplane slowly descends,
Headed towards San Francisco

Where night revelries,
Beginning at 10 p.m.,
Spill into the street

***
As the full moon casts shadows
That never seem to stand still

Branches twist and turn
And power lines snap and fall,
But there is no rain

"Do you think we can borrow
From your brother or sister?"

***
Where did the love go?,
Abandon is abandoned
To life's daily chores

Snow on Tuesday afternoon
Slowly blankets the driveway

"Be back for dinner,
And don't forget your mittens,"
Mom has her checklist

***
A cat howls, a beagle barks,
A flock of sparrows departs

Intertwined branches
Of the blossoming plum tree
Are suddenly pink

All the candles on the cake
For his 65th birthday

Symphony: A Solo Shisan

The last weeks of spring,
The faded rhododendron
And tall, uncut grass

In the vacant lot beside
The new condominiums

He inspects the plans,
Completed just yesterday,
For a new strip-mall

***
Twenty thousand years from now
The river will change its course

A few Hawthorne trees
Blooming in the afternoon
Of the July heat

"I can't explain it," she says.
"I just like being with him."

***
In the large lobby
Of the new office building
Coming and going

Once a year five friends gather
To hike the low-lying hills

Under the jade light
Of the full, or nearly full,
Slowly drifting moon

***
He washes all the dishes
While gazing out the window

To the neighbor's house
At the thinly falling snow
As some music plays

From the just purchased cd
A sun-dappled symphony

Another Dawn: A Solo Shisan

Another Dawn

The last weeks of spring
The hawthorns are still in bloom
An overcast day

Preparing for their finals
And college applications

At the welfare line
An unemployed engineer
Wonders what is next

***
One day the moon will be gone
But this summer night it's full

In a dream refuge
She finds relief from the heat
And from her lover

If everything is changing
Then there is nothing to fear

***
He alters data
After the Great Leader's speech;
The message was clear

The implacable seasons,
A flow of indifference

As days grow shorter
She removes a few sweaters
From the bottom drawer

***
"We're a little short this month.
Maybe we'll get it next year."

The dishes are chipped,
But that's O.K., they will serve;
They have their own beauty

Another dawn, one more day,
Another winter deepens

Crochet: A Solo Shisan

Evening clarity
After the heat of the day
The cool summer moon

Suspended at the zenith,
Above the small city park

She watches a cloud
As its face shifts and changes
Just like her feelings

***
This year the leaves are falling
Gradually, one by one

"Now we have to part,"
He speaks slowly, with regret.
"It didn't work out."

The dry creek waits for the rain
A goddess waits for a prayer

***
Saturn shifting signs,
Equinoxes, Solstices,
Workdays and weekends

At the university
The Board makes a long-term plan

As the winter wind
Whistles against the windows
And bends the branches

***
My Aunt crochets complex squares,
She has plans for a new shawl

Inspired by
the colors of plum blossoms
And the morning air

The couple with no children
Decides to adopt a child

Magma: A Solo Shisan

It’s hot this morning,
Already my neighbors are
Watering their lawns

A few leaves flutter briefly
And then the stillness returns

She meant to write home,
But the day got too busy;
She’ll do it later

***
Thick clouds cover the full moon
The sound of dry leaves falling

On the sidewalk
In front of the office building
Built five years ago

Young lovers meet and embrace;
Close friends had introduced them

***
The days have shortened
Years have vanished like incense
Dispersed by cold winds

All nations are insecure
And all politicians lie

Deep within the earth
Slow waves of molten magma
Head towards the surface

***
Plum blossoms bloom in the snow
Soon warmer days will arrive

“It’s been difficult,
But I have found a new job,”
He says to his Dad

Donations for the food bank
Have been excellent this year

Emeralds: A Solo Shisan

Emeralds

April afternoon;
A surprisingly cool wind
For this time of year

The garden's are holding back
Waiting for the earth to warm

He thinks about it.
He decides not to tell her.
What good would it do?

***

Only a short time ago
The whole area was farms

Rows of lemon trees
Blooming in the gentle wind,
Warm even at night

Her replacement doesn't show
So she takes a second shift

***

At the hospital
In the emergency room
They wait patiently

No one notices the moon
Full in the crisp and clear sky

He just says, "Hello."
She spent a lot of money
At the hairdresser

***

Crowds gather at the new store
For its Grand Opening Sale

Even though it's cold
And even though it's snowing
It's still beautiful

A garland of emeralds
With some semi-precious stones

Ancient Hymn: A Solo Shisan

Ancient Hymn

Cool mornings give way
To weekend hikes with old friends
In warm afternoons

With a few hawthorns blooming
At the entrance to the park

Two lovers hold hands
And dream of hours together
And a long future

***
The fountain at the courthouse
Is turned off to save water

The heat of the day
Continues into evening
Though the sky is clear

A comet, for a few nights,
Appears on the horizon

***
While at the zenith,
In the cool October air,
The half-full waxing moon

Lighting the deserted walk
That meanders through the park

Several flashlights
As policemen scan the grounds
For possible clues

***
The snowfall accumulates
(A world without rough edges)

On the Christmas trees,
For Sale at the Used Car Lot,
Many-colored lights

Dad sings to his son a hymn,
A song that's ancient and new

Shelter: A Solo Shisan

Shelter

On this quiet night
Under the moon's silver light
People are dreaming

As Devas offer guidance
In the silence of a glance

A possum freezes
In the headlights of a car
That brakes just in time

***
"It makes a big difference,
All that new insulation."

While folding laundry
She makes plans for tomorrow
And for the next week

"I'm sorry you can't make it.
That's OK. Another time."

***
For him it's a song,
Even after all these years,
The sound of her voice

Mingling with a steady wind
And the falling plum blossoms

Starlings are in flight
During the long, slow sunset
Clouds of red and gold

***
She begins her second job,
The bills just keep coming in

The weather report:
At least five more days of heat,
And no rain in sight

In an abandoned building
A runaway finds a home


Best wishes,

Jim