at a tanka workshop

cygnets piggyback
in shoals by the shore
birdwatchers
binoculars in unison
follow their guide

breath infused
black-barrelled clarinet
lifts me high
lays me low
urges me on

yoked together
these twenty five years -
fresh fields
tempt this horse
chafed by the harness

more for the music string

guitar strings pour
an avalanceh of discord;
you bury me
in a landslide
of angry words

dragon fly dance
on cello strings:
skill and grace
marry in arma nd bow
eye and finger and string

fingers caress
a broken chord
from yellowed keys;
the touch of an old friend
on my shaking arm