THE CHERRYPLUM (haiku)

THE CHERRYPLUM (haiku)

The honey bees dangle
on the wild cherry blossoms 

snowing on the ground

i sit on the porch
windows cobwebbed and painted 

frame the afternoon

sonorous buzzings 

yellowjackets devour 

fallen cherry plums

yellow leaves swirling
burned cuttings in bonfire split 

wood stacked up high

open the windows
coastal snow and rain sweep in 

gather wood for warmth

sit by the iron stove
wood from the cherry plum glows 

thru the freezing night

bright budding branches
sap runs upward during thaw 

night blackens new growth

sap runs in yr veins
the stirring of dormant seed 

and budding flower

smell of musk honey 

on yr fingers, on yr beard 

mingles on our bodies

stamen and pistil
the anther and the ovum
pollinates the fruit

warmth of sun on skin 

nibble upon ripened fruit 

and nourish the fire

tongues seek out nectar 

limbs seek shelter from the night 

lips touch each other

on yr arms i am 

gathered up again for warmth 

in the freezing night

the honeyed scent drifts 

up in smoke to the nostrils 

blood warms and flows

Chinook breezes blow 

sap runs with energy renewed
bees stir in their hives

bees stir in their hives 

fragrant cherry plum blossoms 

unfurl their petals

Spring 1979

added 2/2017