New York

sunrise on champlain –
ancient boat plies th’june waters,
time seems to have stopped
(10-15)





rusted lock hardware –
erie canal buff shows where
nature took over
(2-17)





past alb'ny, the woods'
cool lake - swim, fish, camp and sew
a patch in his jeans
(6-13)







cut west ‘t albany –
thought ‘f stopping, but th’locusts spoke,
decided ‘gainst it
(10-16)





beneath th’raging falls,
th’kid holds tight t’mom’s knee, in awe
of th’power ‘f nature
(6-17)






n train baseball fan –
knows ev’ry dominican
‘n’ all their statistics
(9-17)





-->

stays under th’radar –
no phone, ‘n’ only th’food he’s grown,
goes way ‘round th’thruway
(1-18)







outside lake placid,
he and th’bear fish th’same river –
glad he left yonkers
(10-16)






adirondack woods –
uses th’times t’do his business,
th’bear stays down by th’creek
(8-17)





 
beach ‘t mattituck –
so far from th’city, even
halfway back’s too far
(8-17)





south bronx vet’ran,
used to th’high threshold ‘f danger –
th’zoo gives him comfort
(4-17)





canal hist'ry buff,
rusted erie lock hardware,
flowering ragweed
(2-10)






thousand islands cove,
under locusts’ shrill protest,
someone does business
(10-15)



 
thousand islands cove,
where th’woods meet th’river, ‘n’ th’law’ll ask
what you’re waiting for
(11-17)









arrives in bethel –
at th’campfire, an old timer
who got stuck in time
(10-15)







raised ‘n far rockaway –
when th’canyons ‘f midtown get t’her,
dad takes her sailing
(10-15)







soho loft vixen -
good life from summer art trade,
yen for open road
(4-10)






washington square chess
shark – th’und’rcover cop plays well,
always makes th’same m’stake
(7-15)







ad'rondack campfire -
metro section t'read, stock page
for th'woods, th'rest t'burn
(12-14)





 

likes t’post all th’pictures,
that spot ‘t th’falls, looks like you’ll jump –
she gets lots of ‘likes’
(10-17)






through hiker ‘t th’hudson –
th’ancient boat plies its waters,
for each, th’landmark bridge
(9-17)










squeegie people swarm
car at houston street red light -
say "hewston", pay more!
(7-05)






squeegie business thrives,
important that th’windshield’s clean –
houston street red light
(2-17)






houston street squeegie
people – th’fine art ‘f making cash
from wiping windshields
(11-17)






columbus circle
traffic’s tied up, mid-august –
they’re mad about trump
(8-17)






bridal veil falls - its
water whiter than others' -
hits rocks just as hard
(7-05)





labor day, times square –
hustling t’pay th’rent, not likely
t’go on holiday
(3-17)





pizza ‘n deposit –
th’kid watches th’fam’ly bus’ness
instead ‘f th’football game
(9-16)








yankee stadium
jackhammers beyond left field
october's shattered?
(7-08)







civil war statue
ignored by midtown shoppers
gathers fallen leaves
(12-11)







sundown, east village,
constant noise, too much traffic -
and then, the shofar
(9-14)






falls customs agent -
wary eye on leaves in pack:
"welcome home, my friend"
(11-14)






falls customs agent –
th’quick look ‘t th’dead maple leaves ‘n th’pack,
th’reluctant welcome
(5-17)





albany exit –
first frost, ‘n’ th’feeling one should just
keep following th’sun
(8-16)







u n diplomat,
west end t’ th’bow’ry, can’t believe
how th’trees’ leaves’re changing
(10-16)





beneath brooklyn bridge,
immigrants shooting baskets -
fresh fall breeze from sea
(3-10)





neighbor of stonewall:
openly gay's not a crime -
steel-toed boots kick leaves
(12-11)






maid ‘f th’mist captain’s tale –
just saved th’lass who went over,
‘bout closed for th’season
(10-15)








knows th’rage ‘f th’niag’ra,
th’last of th’tourists – but saved th’one
who hadn’t planned t’live
(10-15)








at th’dock, th’mist on th’leaves –
tells th’legend ‘f th’maid – th’lass he saved
looks like she’s seen her
(10-15)







th’leaves change ‘t rensselaer –
deep ‘n th’scientific research,
‘n’ somehow lost th’focus
(11-17)








bedford stuyvesant –
even on halloween, th’guy stares
like visitors’re rare
(10-16)








new york marathon –
back ‘n th’hometown, ‘n’ th’way he wants them
to remember him
(11-17)






souls' day, tompkins park -
passionate warriors debate
what const'tutes a foul
(11-14)







souls’ day, tompkins park –
fenced in hoops warriors rage ‘bout
th’foul called ‘traveling’
(12-16)





souls day, long island,
roads’re choked – likes t’ride t’rockaway
‘n’ watch all th’planes take off
(11-17)





throgsneck, november,
‘nother hiker gets in th’van –
going to peru
(6-16)







landed ‘n laguardia,
wants t’get out ‘f the cold – true,
no roads ‘n panama
(6-16)







turkey, bronx kitchen -
on the wall he sees jesus,
his competition
(11-14)








christmas tree farmer -
truck bed down to pine needles,
lured by soho's wares
(1-12)



bleecker street christmas –
th’snow falls on th’vacancy signs,
th’lass blames amazon
(12-17)










love f’r mariachi,
n train t’ditmar – it’s th’hol’days,
give them a few bucks
(12-16)







deep beneath th’village,
th’hustler asks th’bellringer ‘f he’s
breeder or a clone
(10-15)





beach ‘t far rockaway –
what’s left of last week’s blizzard,
‘n’ lots ‘f holiday flights
(8-17)






blizzard ‘t central park –
th’skaters come from ‘round th’city,
‘n’ they plan t’enjoy it
(11-17)






times square ‘n th’holidays –
even with th’hustle and th’noise,
softening ‘f th’spirit
(11-17)





n train incident -
somewhere in brooklyn, a man's
vanished at christmas
(4-10)







he loves t’hear th’accents,
keeps toasting th’new year – soho
friend can’t abide it
(10-15)




 

times square, nothing t’do –
waiting for th’ball, ‘n’ what bugs him,
what’s app’s not working
(1-18)







throgsneck hitchhiker -
snow, baggage tag on worn pack,
going to peru
(9-05)







tonawanda drifts -
snowplow'rs smash into parked cars,
unable to see
(2-10)







drizzle mist frozen
on th'walk - she tries t'get good view
of th'bridal veil falls
(12-14)







solid ice up ‘t th’falls –
already bit too easy
t’jump in up at th’top
(1-18)



-->

confidence racket –
ice glazes wall street, ‘n’ he broods
on which way it’ll go
(2-18)







soho chocolate -
farm kid watches passersby,
feeling toes again
(4-10)






like th'ice 't goat island
we float canada 'r th'u.s. -
either way, might crash
(7-05)




th’gull rests on th’ice floe –
soon t’reach goat island, then th’falls,
unlike me, quite calm
(2-17)




from th’truck, sees th’lady
‘n th’brooklyn freeway – it’s too cold
to open th’window
(10-16)







kensington commute –
fact that it just snowed two feet,
not such a big deal
(10-16)






central park skater -
as th'snowflake lands in her hair,
she hurries t'catch th'bus
(11-14)









tonawanda snow –
plow driver tells ‘f th’sea of white
‘n’ cars crunching beneath
(12-16)







th’rainbow graces th’falls –
pilot veers into the sun,
avoids ice on th’wings
(7-15)







coin off tappan zee -
icy hudson won't want it
st. christopher will
(7-05)







through th’window he shouts
‘t th’winter wind – maine t’kent, halfway
crossing th’tappan zee
(2-16)






deep b'neath grand central,
he curses th'bitter winter -
disoriented
(11-14)







skater ‘n central park –
grew up ‘n manhattan, ‘n’ her life’s
trying t’keep balance
(4-17)






has to go t’yonkers
t’deliver th’valentine, it’s
his first time “upstate”
(6-15)









ditmar news vendor –
th’biting chill of th’graveyard shift,
last ‘f th’ febr’ary sleet
(10-15)






grand central, th’march sun
through th’ceiling - on th’bench he sits
scrolling through tinder
(11-17)







falls customs agents
dismantling truck's wheel housing -
march sleet ices tires
(2-10)








ground zero, late march –
th’city, even in th’grim cold
recreates itself
(4-18)






from th’subway, th’march fog,
union square, deckers building –
she swears she’s been here
(10-15)







at coney island,
th’march sun shines on th’broken glass,
th’dog’s shot out for th’beach
(10-15)







coney island ‘n march –
th’dog jumps over th’broken glass
t’get over to th’beach
(8-17)







union gen'ral, in
sakura's cherry blossoms -
means less than you think
(11-14)








sakura park ‘n bloom –
th’sage tells th’tale ‘f th’gift ‘f cherry trees
that were lost at sea
(12-16)






statue ‘t sakura –
even here, among th’cherries,
th’civil war’s in stone
(8-17)




-->
washington square park –
five bucks, th’flow’rs ‘n full bloom, th’spring breeze,
checkmates th’detective
(2-18)






diner near wall street –
weeks ‘f trading, vision blurry,
th’spring rains soothe his eyes
(10-15)







cursing 'spring forward' -
long island commuter's lost
precious hour of sleep
(11-14)









steps on kerouac,
shuts pickup door against rome's
spring rains - this, his home
(12-11)








on train from quebec,
spring blooms fill hudson valley -
she catches his eye
(6-13)





cries ‘f joy ‘t th’tappan zee –
hudson b’low, trouble behind
into th’april squall
(2-17)









chess master’s eyes roam
th’coneflow’rs ‘n washington square park,
th’shifting social scene
(2-17)





-->

mad ‘t th’purple loose strife,
took over th’ithaca swamps –
but, it does kind ‘f shine
(1-18)







respectful distance –
dawn breaks ‘t th’schenectady ramp,
fireflies have long gone
(9-16)








stranded hiker waits,
at schenectady off ramp
june's songbirds note dawn
(1-10)



e pluribus haiku