Midwinter surprise—
 
in my left shoe a cricket
 
chirrs a morning song!

 
 
 

Pebble in my shoe—
 
how can such a tiny thing
 
keep me from the way?

Shelter

 
 
 

The year’s second day—
 
in a castoff running shoe
 
a mouse takes shelter.

 
 
 

Halloween cloudburst—
 
a field mouse burrows down deep
 
in the dead man’s shoe.

Mouse

 
 
 

Last day of winter—
 
a mouse peeks out of the shoe
 
where she keeps her nest.

Nest

 
 
 

Autumn afternoon—
 
the field mouse builds a new nest
 
in the dead man’s shoe.

Web

 
 
 

first day of autumn—
 
black widow weaves her new web
 
in a castoff shoe

Step

 
 
 

a tiny pebble—
 
Buddha lodging in my shoe
 
step by painful step

Shoe

 
 
 

the dead man’s left shoe—
 
a family of field mice
 
claim it as their home

Dancing

 
 
 

the jasmine seller
 
dancing homeward at day’s end—
 
pebble in her shoe