(c) 2022 by Michael L. Utley
(#289)
burning leaf piles
a taste of smoke
the flavor of melancholy
…..
(#290)
a handful of
broken promises
last autumn’s acorns
…..
(#291)
Aokigahara
Fuji’s shoulders bear
the weight of sorrow
…..
(#292)
ragged sheaves
my old rusted sickle
nears harvest’s end
…..
(#293)
these tears
it’s the bitter autumn wind
that’s all
…..
(#294)
in a field of sage and lupine
a young boy dreams
an old man weeps
(c) Michael L. Utley
(#265)
scrub my memories
hang them on the line to dry
before the storm comes
…..
(#266)
summer thunderheads
the past tears a swath across
the plains of my soul
…..
(#267)
post-rain gloaming
ghost-light from an unseen sun
sorrow’s harbinger
…..
(#268)
in this endless night
even eternity flees
from my broken soul
…..
(#269)
sepulchral silence
as the stars spin overhead
in the dead of night
…..
(#270)
when my soul awakes
will I see the dawn of hope
or hope’s dying light
(c) 2022 by Michael L. Utley
(#235)
so much damage done
by such delicate fingers
and a blackened heart
…..
(#236)
how soothing the words
whispered to a shattered heart
by her serpent’s tongue
…..
(#237)
days of green silence
heart fern-bound in oak shadows
dreaming with the trees
…..
(#238)
I have not yet reached
terminal velocity
my life in free-fall
…..
(#239)
carved into the bark
of my heart, her initials
overgrown with grief
…..
(#240)
bright sun hurts my eyes
just as hope singes my soul
best to stay inside
(c) 2022 by Michael L. Utley
(#31)
my exhausted faith
flows just as the drift ice flows
breaks and melts away
heaven’s reflection blurring
in the sea’s saltwater tears
…..
(#32)
I catch the water
dripping from the icicles
in a mason jar
as a gentle reminder
that I do not weep alone
…..
(#33)
moon paints snow angels
on forgotten midnight fields
only clouds can see
sleeping souls oblivious
to shy winter’s artistry
(c) 2021 by Michael L. Utley
(#121)
old rain barrel
dark waters of
forgotten dreams
…..
(#122)
first snow
white kiku on
autumn’s casket
…..
(#123)
stone cairns
mark my future; stone heart
marks my past
…..
(#124)
no more songbirds
nest in my heart
your voice fades
…..
(#125)
old mountain’s silence
questions answered
as I climb the path
…..
(#126)
rain turns to hail
my heart takes a pounding
from my tears
(c) 2021 by Michael L. Utley
(#115)
where once was laughter
now only bones
the burned forest
…..
(#116)
does the mantis pray
for long life and happiness
it receives neither
…..
(#117)
some live some die
I plant the seeds
anyway
…..
(#118)
slender-fingered hands
reach through trees, caress my face
the rising moon
…..
(#19)
heron on the bridge
watches incuriously
as my tears fall
…..
(#120)
as a boy I knew
the sun; as a man I can’t
recognize his face
(c) 2021 by Michael L. Utley
(#91)
How can hope survive
Solitary kitchen chair
And the empty bed
…..
(#92)
These old feet are numb
Memories are bitter cold
I must watch my step
…..
(#93)
I sought from the fox
Wisdom; he gave me instead
A flash of his tail
…..
(#94)
Breeze in bamboo grove
Sake choko clattering
Empty memories
…..
(#95)
Who has spilled the sky
Into the pond? Sunset fire
Burns lotus blossoms
…..
(#96)
Once, in the forest
Autumn taught me of sorrow
What will winter bring
(c) 2021 by Michael L. Utley
(#67)
Regret stills haunts me
Even though my heart tells me
I did all I could
…..
(#68)
When I am in need
God responds to all my prayers
“Return to sender”
…..
(#69)
The days come and go
But sometimes inside my heart
The night never leaves
…..
(#70)
Summer sun has gone
That impostor in the sky
Only leaves me cold
…..
(#71)
Autumn’s thievery
Has left more than trees barren
Summer leaves no heir
…..
(#72)
Seasons’ edges blurred
Snow on flowers, freezing rain
I seek clarity
(c) 2021 by Michael L. Utley
(#25)
Fronds torn by the storm
Willow bathes her wounds in tears
Heaven cries above
…..
(#26)
In konara copse
Broken axe is silent now
Entombed by the ferns
…..
(#27)
In my sorrow I
Doubt that even sparrow’s joy
Can restore my heart
…..
(#28)
In chill autumn rain
Memories of sakura
Memories of you
…..
(#29)
There is bird-song when
I see my bare-footed love
Smiling demurely
…..
(#30)
All I wish for you
Is that you are happy and
You’ll remember me
“It’s Not Lost”
(c) 2021 by Michael L. Utley
It’s not lost on me
How this coral-tinctured eve
Tempers morning’s joy
With sadness and coos of doves
Grieve dying light’s somber end
It’s not lost on me that I
Never got to bid farewell
As sun languishes
On melancholy verge of
Day’s bitter demise
It’s not lost on me
That no matter how I tried
I could not reach you
My arms were not strong enough
To save you from siren’s song
It’s not lost on me that I
Could not give you what you sought
To slay your demons
Could not be your shining hope
In your darkest hour
It’s not lost on me
That I mourn what never was
What could never be
How I wish this night would end
How I wish for you again
Silent Pariah 