Monsoon clouds
paint the Peaks, the air itself:
   My partner's smile.

As Vikings on autumn tides,
   Curiosity drives us
      to new, red, shores.

carpet of last year's leaves
   slope up, beneath naked branches
to a pale sky

There: behind the sapsucker's tap...
Past the oak tree in bud...
Beyond the doe among dry leaves...

Alone with a Hermit Thrush
at the summit:
    Wild turkeys!

a spring breeze
          slips onto the trail,
                               tossing last year's leaves.

bent nails hold
   scraps of colored paper -
memories of past songs