Mermaid

i remember how you slept -
one arm curled
around
the pillow,
tightly like a tendril

you were a slender
shape,
a soft breath
of air
asleep in the darkness
(or so it seemed)

but in your soul
you were a raging river

and slipped away
to chase elusive
downstream dreams

until the reflections
of another world
flickered
across your face

and you woke
with the taste
of the sea
still on your lips

Winter Pond

last spring
an infinity of stars
danced
on the face
of this frozen
winter pond,

sang
in its watery soul
like words
in the heart
of a haiku poet

now
not even a heavy stone
can wake it from
its icy silence

Driving the Backwoods

Driving the wooded backroads
the rays of the morning sun
flicker through the branches
like fingers
across harp strings