small things excerpts

american haiku

by c.a. leibow

1
paper lantern
lights my path
dancing shadows

2
 daffodil blossoms everywhere
his birthday to day
the world is five years old1

1
According to Buddhism, with every birth the world is born anew, because no one will experience the world like each newborn and
with each death, the world that was known by that person dies with them. The world is constantly being born and dying.

3
rock-face crevice
looking for blossoms
mists of a waterfall

4
my late winter love affair:
change of seasons-
the snow melts

5
from a city rooftop
a mother sings
hot apartment-sleepless child

6
cooking in silence
she grabs my ass

7
rodeo queen home from school
finds only a bridle left-
poor parents

8
now she laughs-
suicide threats,
just yesterday

9
the old man reaches
for the morning newspaper;
the sprinklers come on.

10
outside the streetlights go out
hand between her legs-
cat scratches at the door

11
 she runs onto the bus
sits next to me-
her mother calls her back.2

2
Riding the 240 bus home from work

12
her head covered in snow
digging for china
family dog

13
 spelling out her name
in an ancient script of light;
one lone firefly.3

3
Adapted from a really long earlier poem

14
clouds spent-
in a new pool of water,
a flower’s face

15
ole mister house fly
i am trying to write here!
flyprints on my paper

16
i lose count of breaths-
on my lap,
my cat’s eyes half open

17
 looking for a part
the daisies find it first-
triumph manifold4

4
For a 1973 Bonneville

18
commuter train speeds past-
between the tracks,
a wildflower sways

19
staring out the window
cherry blossoms covered in snow-
cooped up little boy

20
 little thieves stealing sunlight-
golden dogwood blossoms5

5
Dogwood blossoms next to an apartment complex on capital hill March 22nd 2009

21
caught in a spring wind
fragrant weeping plum blossoms
stolen haiku

22
 new moon
where are you going little beetle?
fireflies show the way6

6
I have never seen a firefly in Utah. This was taken from a memory from Florida

23
 laying on the floor,
a new black dress-
moonlight on her skin7

7
Feb 7th 2009

24
cold winter wind
her head on my chest
steam rises from our tea cups

25
deep asleep
woken by her touch-
alone in my bed

26
late morning
making my bed
a kite visits my window

27