returning

to the mountain
its hiking stick

longest night

between the strips
of moonlight

halfway up the mountain
beginning to fade

[haibun]
teethmarks
on the trail sign…
my last sip of tea

how unlooked-for
to be let go

an awful Christmas carol
stuck in my head

the darkness giving up
its sassafras

From time to time a flash of panic, as if I’ve forgotten something — but I can’t think what.

missing mountaintop
in the pit
of my stomach

acres of silence
one red squirrel

on an empty stomach
trying not to stare

through bare branches
with its horns out

the falling snowflakes
one brown leaf