two missing petals but still an immaculate shadow
Author: Dave Bonta
I live in an Appalachian hollow in the Juniata watershed of central Pennsylvania, and spend a great deal of time walking in the woods. My books of poetry include FAILED STATE: HAIBUN, ICE MOUNTAIN: AN ELEGY, BREAKDOWN: BANJO POEMS, and ODES TO TOOLS.
hepatica in bloom
I jangle the loose change in my pocket
first coltsfoot flowers
take aim at the overcast sky
icicles lengthen
the snow shares a shadow with the wall
bent stalk of brome
three corkscrew leaves stuck in the snow
weighted by ice
the laurel leaves turn pale-side up
snow-covered gabions
suddenly I want to descend those giant steps
in the snowy track
a grass blade curved into the Arabic for “eye”
January moon
we startle at each other’s faces
heart-shaped hole
in the black cherry snag flying squirrel dung
ephemeral pond
the trees wear icy collars at the high-water mark
old corncrib
orderly kernals of light on the bare floor
