New Mexico

shade ‘f th’white sands courtyard,
th’lass tells ‘f th’oryx, by th’mountains,
who has no en’mies
(10-16)





pinon coffee lass -
so sweet ‘n’ friendly at th’white sands,
even on th’longest day
(6-15)






th’white sands skink darts t’ward
th’slight shade ‘f th’pepperweed – th’hiker
seeks th’smile ‘f th’pinon lass
(6-15)







day, white sands tourists,
sleds ‘n’ wax, and sunscreen – at night,
the moon, and th’wildlife
(6-15)





sun-baked adobe –
filmmakers’ve found th’set, ‘n’ now, it’s
back t’albuquerque
(10-17)






off las alturas,
road crosses a baked-out wash,
lizard hides in shade









dry years th’bears come down,
picking through th’cloudcroft dumpsters –
th’woods just aren’t enough
(6-16)








pelenque ‘n’ th’temples –
he trades th’stories for fresh fruit
at th’deming crossroads
(5-15)






get out of this sun,
some water on roadside tongue -
'n alamogordo



-->

five floors b’neath th’desert,
th’holloman kid stays out ‘f th’sun
‘n’ bombs afghanistan
(1-18)












likes t’take th’kids t’bluff springs –
high in th’mountains, out of th’heat,
‘n’ you can drink th’water
(10-17)








roswell's alien
culture - tourists, reflection,
midsummernight's glass







up from santa fe,
th’artists, th’tourists, th’pueblo folks –
soft sun ‘n th’northbound road
(6-16)






shade of ancient tree,
westbound view of mesquite sign -
through texas at last







zia flag ‘n’ pastel –
sun’ll hit th’adobe post branch,
th’outsiders won’t stay
(6-17)





sangre de cristo
communes, one more carload ‘f kids –
th’summer they said no
(6-15)







coyote’s story –
took th’smugglers out t’t or c,
they killed’m in th’hot sun









high ‘n th’sacramentos,
summer lightning ‘n th’dry canyon –
could be fire next time
(6-16)








town 'f organ's ruins -
whatever else happened, they
watched th'valley sizzle








hiker 'n pickup bed
tells why th'onate statue
is missing one foot






tales ‘f th’shovel ‘n’ th’rattlers –
dog canyon kids’ll pass th’summer
reliving each one
(3-18)






up th’canyon from th’town,
past th’fresnal caves, springs, in th’shade
‘f th’big fat cottonwood






family ‘f six skunks –
even in th’tourist season,
plenty ‘f room ‘n cloudcroft
(6-17)





six times, one summer
through oilfields down t'artesia,
fin'ly finds th'pecos







midnight in lordsburg –
in sultry silence, th’police
might be waiting
(6-15)






high in th’mogollons,
had t’make th’fire t’keep from freezing,
even in august 
(8-16)








a fine drizzle mist,
steam rises in mesilla -
they call it "monsoon"








jumped any boxcar
said santa fe; buried him
in raton weeds though




from san augustin,
th’blooming desert, now, ‘t th’white sands,
migra’s got th’dogs out
(10-17)




cranes in the bosque -
elegant dance, joyful splash,
desert heat's lifted







t’ward cruces ‘n’ points south,
stops ‘t th’bosque t’watch th’sandhill cranes –
they, too, have fled th’north
(10-17)






stops t'watch th'abuela,
th'baby hands her pecans - hobbs
train whistle beckons






pecans ‘n’ th’abuela –
th’child plays an important role
in th’hobbs econ’my
(3-17)





back from montana -
sandhill crane's seen the west,
likes his rio grande






mesilla pecans –
in th’shadows, th’rest ‘f th’family
waits t’spend th’proceeds ‘f th’sale
(10-17)






orange glow, th’desert
sun, tularosa-bound train –
hunter’s moon, ‘n th’mountains
(11-16)





 
roadrunner parkway,
or’nge trees ‘gainst th’jagged organs –
t’her, th’place has an edge
(11-17)









onate statue –
crimes ‘n’ th’souls’ day hist’ry lesson –
paid for’m with his leg
(10-17)






she takes his poppy -
deming mom who's lost her son,
she's no more to give





in deming, th’poppies,
‘n’ th’grandmother takes one – ‘n her eyes,
an infinite grief

 (10-17)

black friday shoppers
turn collars - mountain wind hits
santa fe plaza







toward the jornada -
even with a bit of frost,
it's dry as a bone








ornaments ‘n th’cactus –
white sands highway reflection,
even now, just th’sun
(10-16)







bare feet up th'mountain,
as promised to la virgen
de guadalupe









turned west ‘n las cruces,
shocked that th’migra’d scanned their tags –
thought they were out’f th’cold
(1-18)







th’cold el nino rain –
th’old sage on el paseo
knows not to miss it
(1-16)



-->

out old sixty-six,
th’neon – th’icy rain ‘n central,
tells of simpler times
(12-17)






dineh coder's tale -
sun hits frost on lead and coal,
war-hardened spirit








light snow on lead ‘n’ coal –
his uncles were th’code talkers,
th’code was navajo
(4-17)






maljamar rest stop –
too cold even f’r th’rattlesnake,
million stars ‘n th’oilfields
(10-17)






visions of fuji –
from th’white sands, th’moon hits th’snow
on sierra blanca
(1-17)






gallup’s frozen fields –
how cold, th’amount they drank, tend
t’underestimate
(6-16)








place called bugscuffle –
if you have t’call th’snowplow guys,
don’t say where you’re from
(10-16)








wild horses in th’snow
belong to th’mescalero –
diff’rent kind ‘f “belong”
(11-16)







chaco canyon sun –
in th’wet laundry, finds th’haiku,
new year, east village
(9-16)










hunts th’ibex, new year,
way up ‘n th’florida mountains –
has horns ‘bout yay big
(1-17)







down th’hill t’alamo,
spiny cactus on th’bare rock
made it t’nother year
(10-16)







high 'n th'sacramentos,
snow covers th'old trestle ruins,
but not very well







my dear jackrabbit –
same color as th’frozen grass,
rest well, on th’hope road
(12-16)








hummingbirds hover,
fight at kitchen feeder - march
sun sets on organs







white sands tumbleweeds –
can’t expect them t’stop blowing
with nothing t’stop them
(7-17)





promise forgotten,
eyes drawn to cruces' valley -
prickly pear flowers






deming fam'lies' pain,
sore feet sunk in timeless sand -
old bataan stories





rio ruidoso –
th’lively mountain streams, y’wonder
if you can drink ‘em
(6-16)





pale purple cactus
at my feet blooming - beyond,
organs and blue sky








migra near white sands -
shrewd judge of spring tumbleweeds
calmly steps aside






spring ‘n silver city –
th’town with th’vicious miner’s strike
has kids named ‘peace’ ‘n’ ‘love'
 (8-16)






hope desert rabbit –
back ‘n april, couldn’t see you,
now, ‘n may, you’re th’whole road
(6-17)







road through oscuro –
three more months ‘til th’monsoon,
out there, th’bombing range
(4-18)





plains northwest ‘f roswell –
chinook winds keep ‘m bare, ‘n’ secrets
tend t’make th’headlines
(1-18)




wild mountain thistle,
declared ‘n outlaw ‘n ruidoso –
‘n’ prettier for it





hope road cent’ry plant –
alone and ornamental,
it rules th’horizon
(4-16)






old vet, shaggy beard
tells how hot th’white sands road gets
during th’bataan march
(4-16)








th’pines get th’fresh green shoots,
says th’trestle trail flute player,
even in th’dry years
(5-16)






chinook winds, endless
plain - down in roswell, alien
guards th'car dealership







points out th’wild iris
near th’path, th’high sacramentos –
tougher, ‘n’ less showy
(6-16)





apache summit –
th’gambler, looking for th’signs, sees
th’stand ‘f red hot pokers
(6-16)





show'rs make cacti bloom
soft desert colors catch sun,
gracing jornada





woods near ruidoso –
th’old guy knows ‘bout all th’back trails,
likes t’pick up antlers
(6-17)



weed rancher’s cougar –
tell th’game boys he wanted th’lambs,
they’ll look th’other way
(6-17)





sky's pinks and yellows
frame jagged organs - steal eyes
from apache plumes








june sun, mesquite sign –
eight hundred miles of texas
finally behind him
(8-16)








on high cruces ramp,
distracted by wide valley -
few spring raindrops







stand ‘f red hot pokers –
lass at apache summit
on th’horse, turns away
(1-18)






maljamar rest stop –
she sees th’desert wildflowers
once th’shade soothes her eyes
(5-15)



e pluribus haiku