pausing
halfway through a life
with chrysanthemums

Afternoon of a Faun
       snow sparkles
              in the arroyo

The old wind chimes
in the basement for winter
tinkle from my sigh

tree-filtered moon
the night wind
in a leafpile

gone then?
cherry petals fall away
in the rain

her gentle passing . . .
a robin flock settles
on the front porch

this is how life is —
hearing the cricket at dawn
just as it ceases

if someone should ask
tell them she loved
ginger snaps and tea

a ripple
reaches the pond’s edge —
daffodils

warm hand held tightly
         dream of a maple seedling
         ready for planting

her last breath . . .
the strings vibrating
on her dusty harp

news of her death —
winter moon descending
beyond the trees

she is gone . . .
     the soft call
     of a mourning dove

raining —
I discuss tomorrow
with falling petals

no night clouds —
just the numbing news
of her crossing over

quiet arroyo
the song borne somewhere else
by wind

moonless
the rain-muffled cries
of returning geese

I pause
halfway up the stair . . .
because she has paused