Cuttings: December
Haiku, Quintains, Tanka, Senryu, Pentastichs, Brief Poems
Autumn, Fall, Winter, Cold, Wet, West Coast Season
1998 - 2026
By Mike Garofalo
Place, Setting, Location:
Vancouver, Clark County,
Columbia River Valley,
Washington, 2017-2026
moonrise—
the dark night of a soul
lifts
sunlight burst through
flimsy white clouds
blue skies all around--
a Pause
in December rain showers
in-breath
out-breath
unconsciously
enables me
to Consciously Be
Wind roaring
Branches down
Fences toppled
Road blocked—
Christmas Eve
a haiku problem:
a taste
and then
a stillness
a hardness
a bleakness
a shiver
a reminder of winter
completely
finished—
a death poem
Christmas wreath
on the church door
wilting slowly--
dry December day
west wind plays
December fog—
among the yellow leaves
a dead frog.
Wet pier boards
clomped under our boots,
docked boats shined,
we forgot what we left behind
fishing consumed our minds.
Christmas tree
shining so bright—
beautiful night.
Santa's lap
full again—
uneasy child.
The Happiest Place of Earth:
not at Disneyland
not on a Caribbean Cruise
not in a Las Vegas Casino—
Sitting in a park in the shade.
alone
on the trail
steep switchbacks
ahead—
my autobiography
I blinked, teary-eyed.
Campfire smoke
in my eyes.
Up my nose...
wet wood in a pile
Letting cars pass by.....
magpies wait on barbed wire,
eyeing the red road kill.
Alan Watts
made me laugh—
philosophical humor
bundled
Insights
A truck blew by
on Grayland Beach
blaring a hard rock jam—
seagulls scattered
into the absence of silence
Christmas lights
red-green bright
blue-violet sparkling
flashing colors in the night—
electric holiday gleaming
Winter Storms
Northwest River Floods of 2025
The Atmospheric River
from across the Pacific;
El Nino Rainstorms
from the Southwest—
Flash floods, landslides.
Highway 1 CLOSED
for
many months
from huge landslides
or collapsed bridges
on the Road perched in the sky.
Flooding on 101
near Tillamook—
another local bridge out
five rivers flow
into Tillamook Bay.
Mudslides in Malibu,
muck in fireburnt Pacific Palisades.
Flooding of 101 near Potlach
at the Skokomich River Crossing,
under unrelenting rain.
Crowds gather
at Depot Bay
along 101 shops
to watch
the King Tides Spray.
Relaxed and reading,
in my van with the rain
rattling on my roof—
I dried off
after my walk.
We stopped on 101
near Kalaloch;
rainstorm slashing down,
visibility poor, road slick ...
—we sat in my van for hours.
Raining hard all day,
wind gusts up to 35 mph,
King Tides, 50°F, November:
yurt shaking...
long night at Beverly Beach.
clear blue skies today
warmer Sunday morn
after November's reign of rain—
my son's 45 Birthday party
released many good memories
Gold leaves fill the gutter
Water puddles around the grate—
Rain Runs
Down, down, down ...
Gravity rules every town.
At the Edges of the West
Highway 101 and 1: Docu-Poems
The chessboard patterns
different each time...
Like my changing life,
complicated and intense.
Reacting when others move.
Place, Setting, Loacation:
Red Bluff, Tehama County,
North Sacramento Valley,
California, 1998-2016
graveyard gate
closed—
deep fog
moonlight calms
the frozen night—
long silence
a jay
perched on a branch—
misty December morn
All the cabbages in our garden are robust and green to the core;
All the peppers are dead and black, not red anymore.
The onions are thriving, the tomatoes all gone,
The lettuce is rising, the pecans all stored;
It’s wet now in Red Bluff, Winter’s knocking at the door.
Floating upstream past Time
ticking counterclockwise—
he awoke.
From Maybe to No is the path of the facts;
I'm too old for another cul de sac.
Door after door is locked this time,
Only a few to open with these keys of mine.
My breath follows
the chill wind—
a morning walk.
The blinded
following the blind—
not listening.
My heavy wool coat
damp from drizzle
buffetted by brisk breezes
spotted with mud—
crumbled cookies in my pocket.
Flashing
his fake ID—
casino lights blink.
Yanking up
frost-bitten eggplants—
clear morning.
Full moon
in the morning sky—
disappearing.
Shivering—
grey clouds darken
mountain snow.
Licking his black nose,
twitching his ears,
calf mooing at me:
"Got Milk?"
A shabby scarecrow
with broken arms—
the cold hurts.
Flooded rice fields
full of ducks—
Christmas Eve.
Salmon drying
in the smoke house—
caviar on a cracker.
bright yellow
mulberry leaves
spinning in the brisk breeze
Carrying branches
the raging creek roars—
road closed.
Cuddling his great-grandson
before the baptism—
New Year's Eve.
dead
dry herbs—
freezing wind
Smoke hangs over the field—
smoldering pile
of burnt cuttings.
Empty spider webs
under the eaves—
melting frost.
scars on my hand—
faint memories
fighting back
Turning off
the leaking toilet tank;
New Years' Eve.
Her broad neck twitches
at the touch of my hand—
horse sense.
Canned tomatoes
pulled from the pantry—
summer in a Ball jar.
Leafless cottonwoods
creak in the wind—
mushrooms up.
glowing
wood stove fire—
piles of warm old books
the last leaf on the tree
flutters—
her 85th birthday
Explosives
over his heart—
bus pass in hand.
Frosty windshield
crusted white,
going nowhere.
The still cold air—
a fig leaf falls
on the frosted windshield.
one shriveled pear
on the leafless tree—
the frost melts
Wide open ahead
clear road on Saturday morn,
humming rubber tires.
"Broke and Hungry"
off-ramp beggar—
my windows stay up.
dusty fan blades
motionless—
winter vacation
She decides on divorce—
he snorts coke,
a line of escape
leafless plum trees
branches raised to the heavens
singing "Rest"
Bookshelves beckon
the reader's gaze—
over steaming cocoa
books
keeping authors alive
for centuries
The tule fog
fills the sky—
Yuletide.
Swordfish
sizzles fast on the grill—
lemon drops.
Bellowing heifer—
the water trough
filled with ice.
soggy newspaper
lumped in the gutter—
Bin Laden's muddy eyes
Shuffling old man
staring over bridge's rail—
the edge of winter.
books on his belly
his eyeglasses bent
snoring away
Naked and breathless,
a centuries old Oak
gulps down the rain.
The Other-Fulfilling Prophesy comes true:
What you never thought you'd become, you do.
Yellow ginkgo fans
spewed over stained sidewalks—
walking after dark.
Wandering in the woods
on back roads around Pepperwood
picking up inchling cones
of immense Redwood trees--
little beginnings of Big Things.
Chico State Wildcats
back and forth on the basketball court—
cheering fans clap.
weeds flourishing,
tiny grasses, little leaves—
winter crop.
candies, cakes,
wintertime pastries—
tighter pants
Live long enough and the losses pile up,
Till you're tossed away like an old cracked cup,
All stained and worm, dulled by time,
Useless, leaking, not worth a dime.
Egoless, your flesh falls away, a skeleton
Lost in Nirvana; lights out, all done.
Then, the Skeleton Woman drinks your dry tears,
Drums your still heart, and sings away fears,
Slips under the quilts and gives Love a Whirl,
Spinning, twirling, your reborn as a Girl.
Forget yourself, crack the cup on the floor,
Speak in a new voice, the past is no more.
Cracking walnuts
over yesterday's papers
broken shells.
The old man
limps off into the fog—
New Year's Eve.
A giant among inchlings. Yes!
The atoms in a molecule never rest.
The forest kept the sunlight low.
Trees talked in the earth below.
Open the book on the desk. Yes!
somehow, someway
everyone
gets eaten up someday
I sat,
the cat jumped in my lap;
cold room.
Eucalyptus grove
dancing in the wind—
bowing to the South.
If all the world's a dream,
I'm thankful the sleepers
Are dreaming that I'm awake.
Don't wake the butterfly, Chuang-tzu.
Don't wake the Deity, Descartes.
Don't wake Buenos Aires, Borges.
Don't wake the dead, Gabriel.
Over Lassen,
full moon in Winter's sky—
late afternoon.
Mt. Lassen's face
covered with snow—
dark clouds.
Dragging ourselves out of bed
hours ahead in our heads;
grumbling, stiff, shaky;
peeing as we unpeel our eyes,
cold feet on the floor.
A story that stopped for someone;
but for everyone else, often but
a dull drama replayed at daybreak.
Ordinary day redux.
Yawning.....
Wide-eyed
smiling-child—
Christmas
thankfully
repeated
generosity
As a trinket, toy, tool or artifact - a Poem
Rolls down the production line of a poet's mind;
Sounds for readers to hear themselves think,
Framed by the lens of language.
Click, Kaachink.
Pouring out
the muddy water—
three drowned mice drop.
purple skies—
beside the teahouse
yellow willow leaves
Golden hair
down to her hips;
slipping off her jammies
she teased
him up—
cold sheets
curled in her words
hints
slip off her tongue
revealed
inside your eyes
my thoughts
Standing still in the circle of trees,
in the sacred space,
one wet and chilly morn,
feet rooted, turtle toes clawing the earth,
sunk deeply down;
twisted like a dragon, alert, poised, ready to fly;
settled like a bear, strong, full of power, gathering;
looking through the tiger's eye, mind-intent, penetrating;
embracing the World of Body, Mind, and Spirit,
as ancient as Now, the Three Realms, all still, all one.
From the edge, the cosmic circle opened,
Chang San-Feng slipped inside, smiling,
he stroked his long black beard and spoke softly,
"Ah, another old man standing so still in San Ti Shi.
Continue, my friend, stand in peace, touch the mind.
Xuan Wu guards the Gate, the Turtle chants, the Snake rises, and
The subtle winds of understanding blow down the centuries.
When still, soar like the Black Dragon; when moving,
walk like the Mountain.
Tame the Tiger within, ride the Tiger to the temple, and roar in silence.
Awaken like the Bear from the winter of the soul, and rise like a Man.
Feel the vital energies from bone to brain,
Sense the Great Tao before you Now,
Drop delusions, enter the Gate of Mystery,
Embrace the Center, Empty, unattached, ready to be filled
With boundless beauty, everything There, marvelous beyond words."
The cottonwood leaves spoke with the wind,
the sun rose over the shadows,
my legs shook a little;
the cosmic circle trembled,
Xuan Wu's sword flashed in the sun,
Master Chang disappeared in the trees.
- Reflections On Grandmaster Chang San-Feng
my dog's muzzle
lifts my arm—
cold nose
New moon
obscured by fog—
a pointless argument.
Baptism on Sunday,
Funeral on Monday—
Bricks in the Wall.
Trinity River
rafting memories—
shivering.
Dusky blue Pacific
Beyond. Above
Dark scented spruces.
One last time
touching her lovely soft fur;
then shoveling dirt.
[Chelsea, our old Golden Retriever,
died on 12/29/99. I buried her.]
In the cold pond
Breathing slowly
Horsetail roots
Withered Horsetail leaves
drooping into pond scum;
Seedpods bursting white.
Ripe brown Horsetails split,
Spewing cottony seedlings
Onto the wind's back.
The murky still pond
stares at the cloudy skies;
Horsetail seeds float by...
No stars or orchards,
Only ground fog,
Rising everywhere.
Bitter Pills 12
There is no game until you let go of the ball.
There are no religions in heaven.
No matter what some old Holy book says,
one plus one does not equal three.
Tattered old scriptures—kindling for a fire.
To get closer to the Divine, get farther from religion.
Months and Seasons |
|||
25 Steps and Beyond: Collected Works
At the Edges of the West
Highway 101 and Hwy 1: Pacific Coast
Bundled Up: Volumes 1-3
Quintains, Tankas, Pentastichs
At the Edges of the Fertile West
Highway 99 and Interstate 5
Poetry Research by Mike Garofalo
Mike Garofalo lives in Vancouver,
Washington.
He worked for 50 years
in city and county
public
libraries,
and in elementary
schools. He
graduated with
degrees in
philosophy,
library science, and
education. He
has been
a web
publisher since 1998.
25 Steps and Beyond: Collected Works
Cuttings: December, November, Fall, Autumn, West Coast
First Distributed on the Internet WWW in September 1998.
This document was last edited, revised,
reformatted, added to, relinked,
changed, improved, or modified
by Mike Garofalo
on December 30, 2025.