Washington

flannel ‘n’ folk music –
she moved out t’seattle from th’south,
she’ll never go back t’live
(3-17)






walk ‘n th’hoh rain forest –
among th’moss ‘n’ ferns ‘n’ sitka spruce,
she’s come for th’silence
(11-17)








watching th'show on th'sound -
two vets complain about th'war,
kids play with sparklers
(12-14)






th’bear scoffs ‘t th’town’s parade,
doesn’t mind waiting ‘til night f’r
spokane’s leftovers
(3-16)




-->

seattle folk fest tales –
th’moisture’s hard on th’instruments,
but they sound good ‘n th’fog
(2-18)



two-string violin –
behind th’haunting busker ‘t th’pike,
where they sell th’sparklers
(10-16)






apples ‘f wenatchee –
most ‘f us get th’vacuum sealed ones,
th’locals just want th’fresh
(8-17)







fresh onion ‘n’ garlic,
walleye thrown ‘cross th’pike tables –
busker’s found his home
(8-17)








mussels ‘n th’driftwood fire –
could live in a place like pysht,
never have t’start a war
(3-17)

olympic beach, th’night
‘n’ th’water hide th’mussels – find them,
throw them ‘n th’driftwood fire
(11-17)






in walla walla,
barefoot kid's joke about name -
they've heard it before
(3-10)






docks ‘f port angeles –
lumber ships bound straight f’r asia,
th’orcas’re just playing
(8-17)






a few bucks, 'n all you
can eat - picking peaches in
the okanagan
(8-05)








okanagan lass
knows how t’pull ‘n’ stack th’peaches
not bruising any
(7-16)






juice from a fresh peach
stains half a washington map -
what was she thinking?
(12-11)







seven ripe peaches
‘n’ what crackers ‘n’ cheese’re left, might last
okanagan t’ th’east
(2-17)







okanagan lass –
usubu t’cut th’ripe peaches,
critters’ll clean off th’pits
(8-17)










vashon ferry lass -
island fog, pines oppress her,
august tan, she likes
(10-14)








even in august,
th’fog sits ‘n tacoma harbor –
th’blanket’s not enough
(10-16)










seattle ‘n’ its flannel –
th’cool folk fest’val breeze, ‘n’ all th’folks
who are just like us
(11-17)











acres ‘f lavender –
surprised it would smell stronger
than th’san juan sea breeze
(2-16)








stop t’smell th’lavender,
stop ‘n’ watch th’purple flowers’ dance
in th’san juan sea breeze
(10-16)








spirit lake rainbow
trout - must have been snuck up here
since the volcano
(5-10)







tokyo t’seattle,
th’grind got t’her, came through yak’ma
t’pick some fresh peaches
(7-15)







tale ‘f th’peach boy ‘n’ th’demons
th’best ‘f japan at th’campfire, sweet
‘s th’ok’nogan peaches
(7-15)








usubu cuts peach –
well water f’r green tea ‘n’ coffee,
ok’nogan sunrise
(7-15)







okanagan lunch
peanut butter, fig bars, cheese,
seven ripe peaches
(3-10)






fresh apples at th’pike,
fishmonger takes bites ‘f th’golden
even while throwing
(9-16)





rainy fall at th'pike,
splatter and th'sounds of th'market -
busker finds his rhythm
(12-14)






vale ‘f fiery maples
near pullman – so bold ‘n’ strong, th’west,
yet so far from home
(3-16)







fall like this, d.b.
got his money, jumped from th'plane,
vanished in th'cascades
(4-10)






his hero’s d. b. –
ev’ry fall, takes all th’money,
vanishes ‘n’ th’cascades
(10-16)






 

leaves’re turning ‘n th’cascades,
in th’forests, looks f’r his hero,
vanished somewhere ‘n here
(10-17)






kid ‘t th’day one center,
noise ‘f th’cranes ‘n’ barktoberfest crowds,
unsettled by th’change
(10-17)





must’ve worked f’r boeing –
over turkey, they argue
‘n’ retrace all his steps
(11-17)





homeless ‘n seattle,
scholar ‘f th’history ‘f skid row –
cold, ‘n’ he too needs soup
(10-16)







pike fishmonger's hands -
truth, a slipp'ry beast, the scale,
a christmas bonus
(5-13)







fog ‘n th’vashon ferry –
not caught up ‘n th’christmas spirit,
‘n’ mad ‘bout th’time she’s lost
(10-17)





years ‘n walla walla –
seattle’s santa-hat busker
still has th’will t’survive
(9-17)







ferry from san juans -
they follow, splash in the wake,
call toast to th'new year
(10-14)







cape disappointment,
search ‘n’ rescue station, new year –
even now, haul’m in
(4-18)






streets ‘f capitol hill –
th’night that started with th’countdown,
ends with rainier’s glow
(2-17)







new year back in th’couve –
he likes th’more comf’rtable life,
t’her, it’s under th’bridge
(11-17)









outside moses lake,
praying for deliverance -
trucker scrapes more ice
(3-10)





moses lake trucker –
th’highway goes through th’worst ‘f th’blizzard,
asks god f’r salvation
(10-16)








out hurricane ridge,
th’snow’s packed th’roads, but he’s hungry
f’r some dungeness crab
(10-16)








years ‘n walla walla –
busker gets by ‘n th’cold months, with
what he learned ‘n prison
(10-16)





bainbridge ferry teens
don't mind long rainy winters -
moved here from vegas
(1-07)








stepvan behind th’house –
spent last winter ‘n seattle’s streets,
tries t’help some ‘f th’others
(4-18)







ribbon-cutting ‘t th’spheres –
amazon execs duck th’cold
t’enjoy th’rain forest
(1-18)






back in tacoma,
bleak winter fog's moving in -
she knows the fragrance
(3-10)







stale steamy stillness
walla walla laundromat
thaws a traveler
(10-08)







deer, snow from mountain
fish, whale from sea - hoquiam
drunk knows what he lost
(1-07)







fisherman's dull glaze -
years of spring rains, soaked through, but
for ballard chowder
(5-13)



 

foggy mess ‘n th’ferries,
he says, likes th’city, even ‘n march –
at least there’re street signs
(3-17)








four twenty friendly –
march rain, ‘n’ th’smell permeates th’walls,
‘n cap’tol hill, th’whole world
(4-18)






ballard fisherman –
march storm, th’endless rain, th’danger,
th’chowder’s his whole world
(10-16)







hot ballard chowder –
th’march rain soaks into his feet
but th’fisherman smiles
(11-17)






wakes up t’see rainier –
even th’earthworm tries t’tell him
t’live life more simply
(1-16)






ever since it blew,
she sees ash instead 'f flowers
'n th'gardens 'f st. helens
(12-14)







loves th’lush green cascades,
but th’cougar lass warns th’hiker
‘f volcano country
(3-17)







th’pink of th’cherry trees,
th’reflections ‘f seattle’s windows –
th’sun goes on t’asia
(9-16)







convention center –
east ‘n’ west, th’grim seattle rain,
th’glass, ‘n’ th’cherry blossoms
(7-17)





convention center
suits in front, cherry blossoms,
and beyond, asia
(1-07)







lavender ‘f th’san juans –
stunned by th’fragrance ‘f th’remote field,
‘n’ his girlfriend’s lost th’keys
(1-18)



e pluribus haiku