Companions

a labyrinth walk

accompanied by birdsong

and the freeway’s hum

Walking

autumn afternoon—

walking along the river

hand in hand with you

Before the Buddha

mastered walking on water,

he sank fifty times.

Windy day in spring—

a crumpled candy wrapper

skitters down the walk.

walking the wrong way

because my broken compass

keeps pointing me there

seven-day-old bread—

even pigeons walk away

from the barren crumbs

first week of winter—

clutching my grandson’s left hand

for our long walk home