Urban nectar

yellow jackets sip
from a half-empty soda
swarm of tiny burps

22 November 1963

he turns one last time
to wave, flash his sailor's smile
that bright November

Armistice Day

clock hands seemed to stick
that chilly autumn morning
on the Western Front

the 11th hour
the 11th month
the 11th day


November 11, 1918

return to Iwo To (Iwo Jima)

On sulfur island
homeless ghosts amble slowly
on the cold gray sands

Japan returns the island to its original name, Iwo To but it is Iwo Jima to history-- and sacrifice.

roadside crosses

white roadside crosses
where the road's swale meets Nature
memento mori

Catch of the Day

glassy-eyed, gutted
catch of the day on shaved ice
at the fish market

Helmet toss

Helmet flung away
a giant's toss in anger
misses its target