Red Leaves

a patchwork wreath of rust red leaves


Photo Red Leaves by David Loffman

morning fog
muffles sound from the world
trees become ghosts

Sunday evening -
three flat balloons
on a neighbor's gate

***

dimanche soir -
trois ballons dégonflés
au portail d'un voisin

more naked each day,
the trees resort to shrieks and
murmurs--try, listen
------------------

..circa Saturday, October 30, 2010
..Copyright 2010 Spiros Zafiris
---------------------------

condensed
into a velvet flower
warmth

Polite and friendly

I greet them as I go by

bewildered cows

a flock of swifts
flash through he gloaming
solar lights too weak

quiet morning stroll
brittle song of dead leaves --
neighbors raking

after a week from hell
letting all my frustrations
melt in the breeze

Mahonia crowned
with spikes of golden flowers
sullen clouds linger

afternoon break
girl scout cookies delivered
on the hunt for milk

gusty winds
the sidewalk macarena
by skirted ones

morning commute
fog rolling up the hill
pools at its crest

the moon still awake
shadows of a passing bus
on the cherry tree

migrating birds
sit on telephone lines
wait for lead bird to move

sunny side up -
the waitress's smile as she
takes my order

a bed of cold ash--
all that remains of old fires
our passion spent

red drops of nightshade
a hedgehog looks for slugs
under the apple tree

through the front door-
full moon greets me
through lacy clouds

raking leaves
in the morning
stretching
canvases for
the afternoon wind

raindrops ring
against concrete pavers
scabby apples fall

3:30 am -
duck hunters drink coffee at
the all-night diner

river
gold leaf
in the setting sun

untimely dusk

work unfinished, regretting

all the daydreams

early morning church bells
great oak sends its' offering --
acorn rain

wet afternoon
garnet leaf sticks to the windshield
as I drive home

a white mist hangs
over frosty grass
the hidden sun
builds layers of light
as the moon looks on

frost on the windows
nasturtiums still flower
in sheltered spots

behind dim windows
I wait
for a clear world

I so wanted to
show you the last
October flower

* * *

Halusin näyttää
sinulle viimeisen
lokakuun kukan

outside
wind, rain and leaves
I wish
and the fairy granted
inside cozy fireplace

Autumn

autumn winds abate
take shelter in
satsang

Sunday morning
a trio of learner bikers
wobble past

Leaves and wind
Together listen to silence -
Late autumn

The autumn breaks
Summer last dress,
Thread of a web.

As if laughs,
Autumn into face
Wind prickly

sex harassment
in workplace or elsewhere
no laughing matter

Sketchbook, Vol. 5, No. 4
July/August 2010

non, je ne regrette rien
the shifting and shuffling
of an audience of crows

. .

house of the lock -
a light plume of blue smoke
as wind indicator

***

maison de l'écluse -
un filet de fumée bleue
comme girouette

trees whipped
in a dark-shrouded wind
a fox hurries past

garden bearded in frost
the year is showing its' age -- 

afternoon ginko
brushing the hair from my eyes
as I turn the corner

to the Maple
from the Dogwood and the Elm
- a sky postcard

old farm
a grey cat sleeps in the
smokehouse

Hoarfrost and windows
Cold of flickering stars,
World is infinite

Chinese lanterns
turn orange with the cold
holly berries redden

my thoughts
have left me alone, this walk,
to comfort the fallen leaves
------------------------

..circa October 21, 2010
..Copyright 2010 Spiros Zafiris
..channeled; spirit Ram
-----------------------------

though the car window
nearly full moon hangs low
in afternoon sky

seed pods

brittle with life

a breath, a whisper

to begin again . . .

The River Avon

,

a blackheaded gull
plays tag
with a falling leaf


another childhood
the local Catholic priest's
leaf strewn path
,

compost worms
burrow down from the cold
sparrows line the fence

building inspection
during perimeter walk
enjoying a breeze

fashionably late
are the maples
this fall
in the spotlight
- a birch

old man willow
still holds his leaves to the sun
red dogwood twigs

It becomes cold
Fantastic wood will grow
Hoarfrost on points

Evening and two
Drops in a palm
As in a gift

The star sky
Still night of October
Cold on glasses

morning commute
grabbing a fleece jacket
along with the backpack

town clerk -
carefully describing the
buck in her yard

the poison ivy
waking up red- fall's
idea of a prank

mist-laden air
weighs down the sycamore leaves
laburnum seeds crackle

morning sun -
a tit crosses my shadow
on the other bank

***

soleil du matin -
sur l'autre berge une mésange
traverse mon ombre

morning commute
single gold leaf
races me down the street

Empty Bench

Autumn robed in gold
the leaves ever changing hues
remember what was

winds blow sleepy trees
covering a lonely bench
empty for all time

unhurried walk
the smell of clean earth
after the rain

World Haiku Review
Vol. 8, No. 1, August 2010

rain washes away
the smell of bonfire smoke
roses still bloom

the trees announce,
'tis time to rest and to await
a new start
mortars and pestles grind the moments
and we awake--it's spring
--------------------

..circa October 18, 2010
..Copyright 2010 Spiros Zafiris
..channeled; spirit Harmony
---------------------------------

my late dad's oxygen mask my mom fits in

tight asleep
under their covers
marina boats

night damp steaming
the cat on the windowsill
in a sunshine spotlight

The autumn go out,
already a first snowball,
New fairy tale
////
Осень уходит,
Вот уже первый снежок,
Новая сказка

The first crunch of snow,
Starlit nights of winter,
New fairy tale

With clouds together
The north has brought
Sad thoughts

Not one but many
leaves fall
like a dream
prolonging
seconds to minutes

October ladybird -
a few steps in the sun
... on my shoulder

***

coccinelle d'octobre -
quelques pas au soleil
... sur mon épaule

I've fallen among leaves
the soft hollow drum of the earth
beneath me

kitty drifts away
never comes home
again

autumn comes
yet stillness becomes
stronger

rain drifts
fine as spider silk
eucalyptus shivers

harvesting moon
the death of a friend's sister
a lost jigsaw piece

Asahi Shimbun

in memory of a Hull Central Library janitor's recent loss

.

river festival
just a birdsong afternoon
and talk of hedgehogs

Asahi Shimbun, Japan

. 

crisp morning
my breath races me
to the car

it takes long
to get acquainted
my reflection and me
in my late dad's
old sarong

lama juga
untuk jadi akrab
aku dan bayanganku
bersarung
peninggalan bapak

celibate
he talks about
sickle moon

yellow rose
puts out three more buds
snapdragons

stopped at traffic light
blackbird perched atop camera
flicks its head

sunset glow ...
her chilled fingertips
in his hand

hellebore buds
toadstools appear like pimples
across the grass

getting up in the dark
walking out all alone

I may miss a few dreams
or few talks...
but, hey,

I get to see the world
in its pajamas

late hydrangea
nestled among fallen leaves
and scarlet creepers

just sometimes...
the deep royal blue night
and a bright sickle moon.

watching
a playful monkey
I see myself

One of my six haiku included in the Southern California Haiku Study Group recent (2010) anthology, "an island of egrets." First published in World Haiku Review, Vol. 5, No. 1, Spring/Summer 2005.

curled up
in the hollow of the night
autumn moon

sparrows take turns
at the hanging peanuts
late hydrangea

seasonal frolic-
a cup of hot cinnamon milk
before dawn

weekend drive
different shades of autumn
moving up the coast

southward bound
whooper swans leaving
my heart

* * *

etelään
joutsenet lähtevät
sydämestäni

a stiff wind
bowls leaves along the road
the last pear falls

O eagle,
permit these wings of mine
to keep up
-----------------
circa 2008/Copyright Spiros Zafiris 2010
/channeled; spirit Harmony
---------------------------------

equinox evening -
looking for a word to tell
the red of jasmin


***

soir d'équinoxe -
cherchant un mot pour dire
le rouge du jasmin

everything infused
in amber light, gilded
in gold leaf

cats fighting
in the pre-dawn light
an early bus

all the current

bears away

crescent moonset

toadstools
crowd across an old grave
dandelion clocks

twinkle their
steps, a star commands
and sparks fly high
-----------------

..circa 2008/Copyright 2010 Spiros Zafiris
/channeled; spirit Harmony
----------------------------------------------

schoolyard jungle
the bullied boy
commits suicide

World Haiku Review
Vol. 2, No. 2, January 2010

SEE ALSO MY BLOG HERE

morning mist
muffles the laughter of children
compost worms dance

withered berries
a cardinal eats against
the darkening sky

the church steeple
fades into the morning mist
Fuchsia still flowers

cartoon clouds cover
the October sky
friend's funeral

More here: Haiku harvest blog

during an afternoon of apple picking ...

half-eaten apple
the compost pile waiting
for its turn

night falls early
dog leading the way
home

* * *

yö tulee varhain
koira johdattaa
kotiin

the mournful cry
of the dustbin lorry
gentle rain

crows cry out
the sky in an overcoat
trees cast off leaves

strip of sunlight
tiptoes through the window
to dance a jig on the wall

cirrus clouds
feathered across the sky
lavender flowers again

birds shelter
from the torrential rain
dogs sleep

1st. October

Intense colour
Sun and chilled wind
Autumn

woodsmoke
a bee clings to the last stalk
of lavender

(trad. Alan Summers)

***

une abeille s'agrippe
au dernier brin de lavande -
odeur de feu de bois

morning fog
muffling the songs of birds
windows are closed

an aged toad
awaiting sunrise:
damp grass

I sense the silent
waft of fragrance
from the incense
calming my heart
in her absence

Sketchbook, Vol. 5, No. 4
July/August 2010

sweet peas
are limp and water damaged
vetch sets seed