caught in a snare
of black bare branches
sunset



Photo Dawn by EnKayTee

white limned rooftops
untouched yet by jagged
fingers of sunlight

the weightless presence
of accumulated stillness -
night snow

Orion and me
the night clear and cold before us
dogs at our feet

Photo Orion by Danny McL

ice
ice
binds my heart
you are gone
the sheets grow cold

shafts of sunshine
under the viburnum
next door's cat

a few steps
in the icy night -
the haze of my words

***

quelques pas
dans la nuit glacée -
la vapeur de mes mots

Mittenless

mittenless morning
we invite a chillier crisp
for our dormant legs
suddenly, we both start running
simply for feet
** **
..circa 2006..Copyright 2010 Spiros Zafiris
..channeled; spirit Ram
---------------------------------------

The higher the mountain

the deeper the snow
there’s no rocky in Denmark

warm ocean breezes
turn into artic blasts
as I face the day

thick skin of ice
full wolf moon --

I feel a howl rising

Superbowl

Game XXXXIV

Saints vs Colts
padded gladiators

cicada's songs of love
stilled by winters freeze
buried deep, they wait
the earth warms

pre dawn dark fox
disturbs the thin skin
of frost

frozen pond
dark shapes shift below
goldfish caught

coal lorry down the road
a low rumble on the breeze
the dog growling

It's Baaaack

fourth watch-
moon sparkles through
ice rimmed windows

dreaming of summer
lush blossoms lazy heat
my face warm in the sun
only to awake in the cold of my room
snow on my window pane again

frost
white washed woods
diluted vague pale

Photo Iced Grasses by sbisson

hints of bright sky
and the promise of sun
hyacinth bulbs

late commute
snow swirling under street light
in seconds its gone

Buddha, serene
blue eucalyptus dances
in the breeze

winter dreaming
snow slips through my fingers
all the roses are dead

in winter
the dead wait
spring thaw

Hearing
her silence:
cold of the bed

After midnight
he sits up wheezing, now
breathlessness echoes

Winter night chill--
without the warmth of her breath
even quilt is cold

swaying branches
of a bare laburnum
two thrushes courting

Nickel-sized hailstones
scours away Man's detritus
cleansing the earth's face

endlessly patient
raindrops gnaw at mountainsides
dreaming of canyons

into the sunset
I toss my thirst for color
golden plums return

buffeted by winter winds --
no way to shove back

weekend afternoon
driving rain washes away
last of the dirty snow

Richmond Park

twilight woods
pierced with rain
the cries of birds

Photo Richmond Park by pixelhut

Wellensittiche
zwitschern im kalten Nebel
die Zwerge lachen

***

budgerigars
twitter in the cold mist
the gnomes are laughing

barely light
outside the bedroom window
a starling chirps

New Year's Wish

To love
and to be loved,
that's all I need in life,
not transient fame or wealth, but yes
true love.

Haiku Harvest blog

the surf has washed
away our footprints
and with them
the only proof
we loved once

.
winter bus
a man brings a beer crate
full of puppies
.

grey skies
lit from behind
dog walkers strolling

Two Weeks Ago

tires hit puddle -
flying
ice

sipping
heat -
warm apple cider

Los Angeles storm

headline today
storm leaves LA
with a bang
unconcerned with
its damage behind

To and Fro

this to and fro,
from chair to frosty window,
will not do
either I count one hundred snowflakes
or I sit and write a poem
** **

..Copyright 2010 Spiros Zafiris
..channeled; spirit Harmony
-------------------------------------

winter nights
made in love
born of hope
filled with laughter
my three sons
a legacy

storm past
the plow-kissed mailbox
lies in a drift


morning sun...
a bucket of kitty litter
to hold up the mailbox


winter afternoon
neighborhood cats
bewildered

.

my mum's local road
gathering afternoon fog
the dog fox and me

.

a beam of sunlight
breaks past the houses
worms in the compost

city center pavement -
the Christmas tree without thorns
hopes nothing from dawn


***

trottoir du centre ville -
le sapin sans épines
n'espère rien de l'aube

deep winter
pale sunlight
my soul, weary

end of the week treat
container of soup and bread
from Whole Food's hot bar

warm radiators
beat away the biting wind
spiky tulip shoots

season's cracking-
bud on overwintered plant
flower show invite in the mail

on barren heath
winters dun colors hold sway
spring, a dream to come

branches stretch out
green tips
touch the breeze

Turning

winter is turning
snowmen are rare
should a snowstorm
bewilder us with resilience,
we'll stubbornly wait it out
** **
..Copyright 2010 Spiros Zafiris
..channeled; spirit Ram
--------------------------------------

birdsong
the dawn chorus voluble
after the rain

longing for leaves,
missing the color of green-
winter wind

still the dark snow lingers
unmoved by the sun's
cool gaze

morning break-
new grass poking through melted snow

.
fireside stories
the boy gets a piggyback
through the pub
.

.
steady downfall
the different speeds
of cars and snow
.

a shiver of wind
on the snowmelt roadside
a Verbena blooms

thaw
buildings throw back my voice
a hard and sharp return

after a warm week
scraping the ice from my car
at 5 AM

.
all fresh clean windows
the spreadsheet of city lights
on my train journey
.

.

BSL renga
the idea of a walk
without any snow

.

fog obscures the street
smoking a cigarette
next door's taxi waits

turning seasons
frost melts
cold recedes
new life

startled awake
by the sound of a snowplow
--again?

reminiscence --
antidote for despair

altocumulus
drifting in winter-blue skies
seagulls cry

Foreclosed house

foreclosed house
their backyard swing
stops swinging

ancient oaks
parakeets flutter
on a stark branch

the rain stops
streets are strewn with rubbish
hidden by snow

after it snows

when the snow lets up
and after my porridge,
will that man
tearing through lanes be me
will I not sing her name
** **
..Copyright 2010 Spiros Zafiris
..channeled; spirit Ram

-----------------------------------

earthquake aftermath
the child found alive
the child found dead

.

late night rain
the morning after has left
a smaller snowman
.

torrential rain
wipes away the last snow
drenched postman

lift mirror -
some snowflakes
on my hair


***

miroir de l'ascenseur -
quelques flocons de neige
sur mes cheveux

Pulled from the rubble
a newborn's limbs with dead mom--
earthquake in Haiti

morning commute
kids skate on frozen puddle
on the sidewalk

in the park
the grey remains of snowmen
slowly dissolving

rain streaks down
eating away at old ice
snow men tumble

Haiti nightmare
hundreds of thousands dead
and many more homeless
battered by non-discriminating
deadly earthquake

We offer our fervent prayers for the earthquake victims and their kins! The world mourns with and for you.

.
Sally in the Woods
a ghost mist hangs bumper
to bumper


ghostly weblinks:
Spooky Sally in the Woods weblinks
Another Spooky link if you dare!
.

just before waking
a dream skitters to the side
like a playful child

alley on trash day
no feasting crows to be found
as the wind howls through

daydreaming I watch
as snows pile deeper
drifts block old barn doors

chilly morning
she grabs me back to bed
a bit longer

ice: smothers the sun
invades orifices
hardens hearts

gray sky's above me
drab brown earth below
winters grip

the postman -
the cold
letter

.
hazy sky
the snowman
snowed under
.

bushes painted white
fog obscures the houses
a silent world

Ice trees

in the shadows

sun-shy

winter fun
after the snow ball fight
hot, hot chocolate

first break
moon gleams in frozen puddles
behind the welding room

.
revisiting Narnia
the lamp that's just outside
my own snowboundness
.

roads choked with snow-
dissolves dirt grey
under exhaust fumes

a crow cries
high in the bare branches
melting snow patters.

pale white moon
through naked branches-
whispers in the dark

That trembling moment
before the snow slides down-
holding my breath

Help is where you find it

icy sidewalk
disdaining my helping hand
she falls again

pre-shift chat
"what's the wind chill at your house"
empty coffee pots

thin ice

they found the boy
and the Ski-Doo; they're still
diving, for the father
** **
..circa 2010
..Copyright 2010 Spiros Zafiris
----------------------------------

a muffled music
buried deep --

memories of first love

horses in the snow 
looking for edible grass 
a lone pine tree

the snow wraps the familiar
makes it strange
then returns it to us anew -
a late Christmas gift

birds clamour -
patches of green
through the snow

Brampton Old Church
bells heard through snow flurries
dog collars jingle

morning shock
coming out of tropical dreams
feet hit the cold floor

.

thick snow
fox prints come
into their own

Thanks David! ;-)
.

must wonder transform
into a chore?
dust on the creche scene

not enough snow
to keep the kids off school
busses zip past

vortex

the skunk disappears
into the building's bowels
there, the snow tracks end!
** **

..Copyright 2010 Spiros Zafiris

-------------------------------------

Winter moon

ice-encrusted tracks
my footprints --
now I can see where I have been

Spring

Dark branches
with glittering white
a restraining gage
Winters prisoner
longing for freedom

snowflakes
eddy over treetops
sparrows chatter

Epiphany -
my shadow with small strides
on the icy canal

***

Epiphanie -
mon ombre à petites foulées
sur la glace du canal

my boots have shrunken
down to the time when
puddles were for crackling

Winter riverland
drained of color, rimmed with ice-
shivering with light

cat leaps
birds take flight
across winters darkened sky

streets sown with snow
now a harvest of ice

London dawn
shrouded in a gauze
of mist - pierced
with red reflected light
from high city windows

.
five redwings
the chief poses
eye to eye



Just outside the kitchen!

weblink: RSPB Redwing webpage
.

The squirrel landed above
a rascals face appeared
I emerge under powder snow

snow flurries dance
another blanket laid
reading in bed

cold toes
in warm sand-
cerulean waves
crash onto the shore
of my winter daydream

white muffled mountain
I remember your bird songs
now whispers its call

curbside Christmas tree
beneath a soft white blanket
sleeps in heavenly peace

snow continues...
      a flock of robins
            draws me out

new snow --
white silk layered over black ice

after the snow
driving slowly not to miss
its wonder

snow is falling
a sparrow swoops and hides
in a hawthorn bush
then he is absent
from the black branches

5 AM drive
low moon glittering
in the new fallen snow

little white dog
lost in the snow
...following a yellow trail

grey skies
threaten more snow
sparrows scour the lawn

pale sherbet sunset -
holiday indigestion
deftly calmed

silent new layer
holds the home and family
within its stillness

cold thick white makeup -
my street sports a new face
I drive right by

major snowstorm

the major snowstorm
is a welcome sight to the poet
because his friend
is more lazy and will not call
to meet as planned
** **

..Copyright 2010 Spiros Zafiris
..channeled; spirit Ram
----------------------------------

mid winter blahs-
stopping at grocery store
for some fresh flowers

frozen fingers

frozen fingers
stretch for want of warmth
a new decade

gerald england

...

snow covered
branches shining amber
in dawn light

winter -
a
long icicle

a clump of snow
slips from its treetop mooring
the dog runs

Second love

warmth of her touch
in that snowy weekend
fantasy fling
am I ready or a fool
to fall in love again

Modern English Tanka
Volume 1, Number 2. Winter 2006

the joint of a twig
snowman's wry smile

in the fourth watch
the wind howls through the windows
chilling the pillow

winter vacation
her laptop hibernates

hawthorn in the snow -
a maze of white
against the white sky

.
shorter
than the others
the shadow
in twilight
of a snowman
.

alone in the dark woods
the snow swallows our footsteps
and laughter

Photo The Snowy Evening by Storm Crypt

.

snow fight!
the snowman wins
by a head
.

trees are silent
under a covering of snow
bulbs quest for light

snowmen

snow will soon
cover the streets
and children
will make snowmen
with noses larger than the moon
** **

..from: Magnapoets issue 5, January 2010
..Copyright 2010 Spiros Zafiris
..channeled; spirit Ram
-------------------------------------------

Through the night
snow is falling silently
across the lake
and ancient oaks
in the old deer park

frigid morning
record time to the car
driving with gloves

.

new snow
gammon, egg and chips
by the pub window

Nice fresh snowfall in Bradford on Avon today, returning it to chocolate box perfection again. ;-)

.

the old plum tree
bears black and empty branches
the duck-egg sky -
is it a promise
or an illusion?

winterscape -
on a white canvas
ink-black trees

.
hard frost
my wife expects me to beep
like a car
.

steadily falling snow
a child hunched over
in winter woollies

icy sidewalk

the sidewalk was
covered with ice but I made it
to the corner store
this time, I was happy
to pay convenience prices
** **

..Copyright 2010 Spiros Zafiris
..channeled; spirit Ram
--------------------------------

Love song

dining alone
the piped-in music plays
our love song

Notes from the Gean:
A Journal of Japanese Short Forms
Vol. 1, Issue 3, December 2009

new year's day
paw-prints across the snow -
year of the tiger

red apple temptation

Google's choice of logo today

-- the new year sins?

White Tree

frosted winter tree
a fragile white blossom

Photo White Tree by Jos Van Wunnik

hearts electrify

across telephone wires

winter static

frozen commute
icicles forming
at end of wiper swish

Frozen cherry trees
even the crow was crying
during forty nights

biting the peel
a burst of orange mist
firelight

we take refuge

from the winter wind

the fly and I

snow and bitter wind--

rush inside, remove coat--

and note the fly

the clear night conjures
iced white washed fields

the dog growling
children creep past to school
mothers slip on ice

finally

finally, I decided
not to negotiate the ice clefts
but to lounge
chez moi and occasionally
look out the window
**** ****
..Copyright 2010 Spiros Zafiris

------------------------------------

new year's eve
no cicadas fill the night
but oh, the fireworks

buddleia flowers
outlined in fresh snow
muffled footsteps

New Year's night -
the full moon above
a bus stop


***

nuit de l'An -
la pleine lune au-dessus
d'un arrêt de bus

New Year Resolution

.

Blue Moon
I’m too much in love to have
a one-sided conversation

.

misted in white
the sky bleeds into the ground
a wagtail sings

(photo copyright © Jason Wright http://jasestu.deviantart.com)

the sound of deep winter no sound

the frost still gleams
on a red Nissan
bare twigs of broom

moon swollen river
swallows field, footpath and
crust of blue frost

Photo River Flit by Moonlight by ellukrm

A decade begins
with a bang
and a silent morning

WITH MY BEST WISHES FOR 2010

O snowflakes

O snowflakes,
as you fall to cover
the ground,
do you dream
do you skirt, on purpose, ugly spots
** **

..Copyright 2009 Spiros Zafiris
..channeled; spirit Ram
-----------------------

sharp frost
sparkling in the morning sun
two magpies

snow falls around
a dead fox in the gutter
its fur steaming

under a blue moon
we walk a milk white path
beside the river

.
Blue Moon
owners invite me to gatecash
their new year party

Anyone watch the Blue Moon tonight?
.