Cuttings - April
Michael P. Garofalo
April
Red Bluff, Tehama County, North
Sacramento Valley, California
head on hand
eyes down -
whiskey breath
Buddha's birthday-
2566 candles
burned to nothing.
[Siddhartha Gautama, circa: 4/8/563-483 BC]
roses
cut in the rain
pouring fragrances
Mt. Shasta in
my rearview mirror --
Mozart on CD.
Her long stare;
a wink away
from the blush.
Arguing about Iraq
over lunch -
heartburn.
The truth beyond words
beyond silence -
her big grin.
Absentmindedly
walking nowhere --
orange sunrise.
Black butterflies
in love -
April sun.
Dropped off
body and mind--
weeding new cuttings.
Pines needles
silvered by the sun--
clear blue skies.
Flowers flying
in the breeze--
sweet scents of spring.
April showers -
dogs cower
from the thunder.
A homeless man shivers in the sunshine.
Home of the free; land of the hungry.
Soldiers on both sides
shiver at dawn -
homesick.
iridescent red
hedge roses--
scattered fog
April -
one less
blanket on the bed.
Easter
morning -
rising
over stones
poppies.
Patriotism ripens till rotten
And the stink of revenge
Perfumes the victory prayers,
Or pathetic platitudes intoned.
Flesh falls from bones,
Sons become tombstones;
Mothers moan, fathers groan,
Brokenhearted in empty homes.
the military graveyard
needs mowing;
not a soul in sight
Storing away
winter clothes--
months since she died.
Full speed into the void--
ariving late
before anyone.
2,000 pound bombs
explode -
freedom rings
the icy silence
day after day--
smoldering anger
She caught my eye,
high in the sycamore
a poised hawk.
America attacks -
flags hang
at half-mast.
walking in the weeds
Sneezing
into the spring breeze
Weathered shed,
screens crawling with wasps
shaking in the April gale.
Two mares snoozing
in the tall spring grass--
cold north wind.
Web of grapevines
crisscrossing the trellis -
ants ........
Sunday rest
on shaded grass -
Sermons by Cherry Blossoms.
Everyone smiling
on the warm clear day -
Spring fever.
Red winter,
Creamy white spring, green summer ...
Firethorn.
Cheering our hearts -
flushed spring leaves
applaud the winds.
Heartsick girl
sobbing on the schoolyard.
Mind moves - flag flaps.
Flip-flopping leaves:
silver, green, silver, green, silver ...
Indecipherable winds.
Walnuts
last to leaf;
The Queen makes us wait.
Reading Issa,
sipping tea
smiling.
April - Poems, Quotes, Links, Lore, and Garden Chores
McDonald's Breakfast Club--
the good ol' boys
calling for Al-Quida blood.
Headless mouse
by the back door;
ruthless cat.
bad dream -
the sitcom laugh track
wakes me up.
Hot boulders
drying creek beds
-
greening willows.
Ahh, the wide almond groves in full white
flower
Stunning in the morning sun.
Old naked Winter in his garb of grays
and browns has run.
Forsythia blooms come and go in the blink of a yellow Eye,
Then, suddenly, mysteriously, Green erupts; and we sigh.
He raises a toast
we pause ...
lifting our spirits.
a long drag,
a slow exhale--
deeper into dreams
Long thick hair--
my eyes to Full Hips,
wandering lust.
Scattering
behind the mower;
Clumps
of wet cut grass.
Jerking awake
wrestling with demons--
wounded dawn
bloodied but triumphant
Reborn
utterly fresh
walking on and on .........
my sweat steams back
Pine candles flickering green,
junipers yellow headed,
roses vibrant red ... Stopping - I stared!
trenches dug--
sore back
tired arms
Plastic chair
blown on its back,
resting today.
below the bridge--
a wrinkled crone
sleeping alone
She pours more tea
politely--
our
chopsticks pause.
Bees in pink-purple
plum blossoms--
first days of spring.
slowly awakening
curled in the covers ...
smelling coffee
Full kiai
bouncing off the dojo walls--
shaking in sweat-soaked gi
Enlivened gestures
perfect and strong.
T'ai Chi Ch'uan with Patricia Long.
Taxes forgotten--
Weeding
Mindlessly
Stop!
Under this huge cottonwood
Dancing up a storm
black life on dead pulp--
a fly
on my book
working on
a split rain fence--
big brown hawk
hiding his claws
Lively white cat,
dead brown sparrow:
Didn't get along!
black cows
fattened on high green grass
shadowed by black clouds
Truckload of cattle
on Slaughterhouse Road--
Death is unfair
Red Bluff Ro'day'o
Rounding e'm up--
pointy toed boots and Stetsons.
The thousandth time
the train tracks roared--
dogs still bark back
Cut grass clings to
wet brown boots -
daybreak.
Sick son
worried--
as I.
thin arms,
balding heads--
cancer ward
cold
x-ray room
groaning patients
savoring each thin breath--
the weak old man
recovers from pneumonia
My son,
weakening ...
sleeping half the day.
Stopped!
Snively Road Panorama
pulled me over
half a leek left--
somewhere content
a farting gopher
Chicken manure
ca ca doodle do do--
foul food for squash
Into the twilight--
a brown jackrabbit
heads to the pond
Peacocks and guinea hens
screeching--
the foals bolt.
Weeds in bloom
Bright red, yellow, white--
mowed down.
Backyard rock garden
my Stone Forest of Yunnan--
beloved odd stones.
Preachers
gagging on their truths--
infants vomiting formula.
Samsara winks
Spring smiles--
Nirvana
trickles underground.
Bloody dead dog
crushed again--
turning trucks
One week a hero for many,
next week an enemy for some--
Palm Sunday
A woodpecker's knock
Cracks the quiet sky
Echoing off hardwoods
One not two,
two not one -
legs on a snake.
The dark pines edge the deepest shade,
While cherry blossoms set and fade.
In downtown Portland, the sunlight shimmers
In walls of glass, mirroring steel and river.
Sea and creek meet
over rocks and sand--
a noisy reunion
one frog
occasionally croaking--
lonely garden
Unafraid of demons
baffled by the zig-zag bridge--
the yellow carp swims
straight on.
lush meadow
orange glazed--
poppies
skittish girls
ogling a cute boy--
blushing
Redbuds in bloom:
purple on purple,
Royal purple.
Pekin and Rouen
ducklings in the brooder,
peeping not quacking.
white roses
white cherry blossoms--
up in the blue dawn
hot rod parade
up Hilltop Road--
"Cool April Nights"
Years ago ...
my dad died--
the sadness still comes
and goes.
I held his hand
limp and pulseless;
both of us breathless.
my Dad for fifty
years,
Forever now: a dead man.
Michael James Garofalo 1/10/1916 - 4/2/1997
Haiku
Poetry
Links,
References, Resources
Cuttings
Short
Poems by Michael P. Garofalo
Haiku,
Couplets, Free Verse, Senryu, Quatrains, Limericks, Fragments
One to Ten Line Poems
Comments About the Poetry Webpages of Mike Garofalo
Teaching Haiku Poetry: Links, References and Quotations
The
Body as Audience
by
Ann
Gleeson
Quotes
for Gardeners
Quotes, Sayings, Proverbs, Poetry, Maxims, Quips, Clichés,
Adages, Wisdom
A Collection Growing to Over 2,700 Quotes Arranged by Over 130 Topics
Many of the Documents Include Recommended Readings and Internet Links.
Over 6MB of Text.
Compiled by Michael P. Garofalo
Pulling
Onions
Quips and Observations about Gardening
By Michael P. Garofalo
Copyrighted © 2003.
All rights reserved.
I Welcome Your Comments and
Suggestions
E-mail Mike Garofalo in Red Bluff, California
A Short Biography of Mike
Garofalo
Mike Garofalo's Poetry Notebook II
Cuttings: April - Spring Days
Haiku and Short Poems by Michael P. Garofalo
104K, 1 April 2004
The History of Gardening Timeline
Haiku Poetry: Links, References, Resources
Haiku and Short Poems by Michael P. Garofalo
Alphabetical Subject Index
Cloud Hands Website
Taijiquan, Qigong, Weapons: Sword and
Staff, Taoism
Fitness
and Well Being Website
Gardening, Meditation,
Walking, Yoga, Strength Training,
Fitness for Older Persons, Aerobics, Relaxation
Web Guides, Bibliographies, Links, Directories, Quotes, Notes
Alphabetical Subject Index
Arthritis Therapy - Exercise: T'ai Chi Ch'uan and Chi Kung
Chi Kung: Bibliography and Links
Cloud Hands: T'ai Chi Ch'uan and Chi Kung
Cloud Hands T'ai Chi Ch'uan Journal
Cold Mountain Poets: Wanderers, Mystics, and Sages
Confucius (K'ung Fu-tzu) (551 - 479 BCE)
Cuttings: Short Poems by Michael P. Garofalo
Diabetes Therapy - Exercise: Taijiquan and Qigong
Eight Section Brocade Chi Kung
Feedback, Kudos and Reviews for the Cloud Hand's Website
Five Wu-xing Elements and Taijiquan
Five Stepping Movements of Taijiquan
Green Way Research - Taijiquan and Qigong
Health and Fitness - T'ai Chi Ch'uan
Kwang Ping Taijiquan of Kuo Lien Ying
Links and Bibliography: Qigong
Links and Bibliography: Taijiquan
Long Form 108 Yang Style Taijiquan
Master Chang San-Feng (circa 1350)
Master Cheng Man-Ch'ing (1901 - 1975)
Meditation Methods and Techniques
Months of the Year: Quotes, Poems, Links
Michael P. Garofalo's T'ai Chi Ch'uan and Qigong Practice
Qigong: Bibliography and Links
Senior Citizens Fitness Programs
Shoong, Sung, Song - Loose, Relaxed, Open, Yielding, Responsive
Short Form, Yang Style, Beijing Simplified 24
Simplified 24 From, Yang Style
Staff Weapons: Jo, Bo, Can, Staff, Spear
Swordsmanship and T'ai Chi Ch'uan
T'ai Chi Ch'uan: Bibliography and Links
T'ai Chi Ch'uan Short Form, Beijing Simplified 24, Yang Style
Tai Chi: Links and Bibliography
Taijiquan: Bibliography and Links
Taijiquan For Good Health, Fitness and Vitality
Taoism, Nature Mysticism, Alchemy
Thirteen Postures: 8 Gates and 5 Steps