unleashed maple leaves

staining the crisp air crimson

as they fall to earth

A cottonwood leaf,

finally losing its grip,

flutters to the earth.

Waiting

summer’s waning days—

still waiting for a rainstorm

to un-parch the earth

Lettuce

first lettuce of spring—

eating it straight from the earth

without a dressing

fire on the mountain—

a sparrow with smoke-filled lungs

plummeting to earth

midsummer madness—

the thud of neglected plums

falling to the earth

where the wild thing lurks—

a depression in the earth

lined with sticks and stones

a handful of earth

three speckled eggs and a stone—

sacred offerings

a cupful of earth

three blue eggs and a dog bone—

strange yet sacred gifts