at the funeral
his secret life
white chrysanthemum

memorial tablet
copper letters push up
through the snow

his Christmas package . . .
the icy steps
of the post office

frost
everywhere I look —
the Milky Way

town tree —
amongst the Christmas lights
a crow’s nest

crescent moon
the smooth curves
of her headstone

Shortest day
a sparrow chirps
in the dark

Nutcracker Suite —
a star falls from
the ballerina’s hair.

cold night
the dashboard lights
of another car

as I wait for you
the light of Venus
through falling leaves