Silence and stillness
The old year creeping away
As if embarrassed
These quiet waiting moments
Of intense anxiety

Link: Such awful stillness to silence and stillness

After the snowstorm
Out in the bone-chilling cold
Such awful stillness
The frozen branches twisting
In their silent agony

Link: Quiet curtain of lace to Such awful silence

Twilight snow settles
A quiet curtain of lace
Shutting out the sun
Whisper-soft, the darkness falls
Fingers tight around my throat

Link: Swirling snowflakes to a quiet curtain of lace

Walking silently
Among the swirling snowflakes
Leaving no footprints
Someone that you used to know
Someone you can’t remember

link: shaken up snowglobe to swirling snowflakes

Empty sky blinking
Silently she cries, shedding
White frozen teardrops
Falling in all directions
Like a shaken-up snowglobe

link: pitiless sky to empty sky blinking, the falling metaphor also carries over

Final leaf falling
Floating gently to the ground
On a breath of wind
The naked maple shivers
Beneath a pitiless sky

link: blessings fall to leaf falling

The years pass as the
Year passes, yet your spirit
Still shines like the sun
May blessings fall upon you
Like snow on Mount Yoshino

Link: advent drifts in/the years pass
Written for my friend Saionji no Hana in honor of her birthday

Candle flame glowing
Yellow leaves quivering as
Autumn shuts her eyes
Advent drifts in on the wind
Wrapped in a cloak iron grey

Link: Wet with tears to Autumn shuts her eyes
(Photo by me–the maple tree outside my window.)

My fingers are bound
And my mouth sewn up with string
My face wet with tears
As our country tears itself
Apart, ripping at the seams

Link: shame to face wet with tears

Written after the election, obviously.

Lit by agony
My words become shuriken
Thrown in a frenzy
In a whirlwind of fury
Behold my harvest of shame

link: agony to agony