Alan Pizzarelli

Ojo Caliente

Early afternoon
         soaked our bones
     in hot mineral springs
    stayed 3 days in an adobe hut,
      marveling at the shapes
      of mesas, cathedrals of rock
    crow’s ahh- ahh,
         wings a ‘glide on wind currents
              under towering clouds
    spotted a coyote this morning
     high on the edge of a mesa ridge
       jack rabbit below
               standing still    staring
    hiking along a foot-worn path
                 winding along a desert trail
    cacti abloom, yellow flowerets,
    dried shrubs,
         blackened lightning struck trees
                                    roots upended
                  under radiant sun                            
     adobe foundations, cave dwellings
           shards of ancient Pueblo pottery
    along the path
    spiral petroglyphs on cliff top
    symbol of sun and galaxy
    loud zzzZ of a horsefly   circling
      a scraggle of arid grasses
            cry out in yellow voices
    as light rain darkens the dry rocks
      billowy cloud shadows
              drift deep in the canyon
    night falls sitting by kiva fireplace
Bob Dylan on the radio
“hot chili peppers in the blistering sun”
    writing poetic postcards
    p.s. in the desert there are no mailboxes

 the cricket cage
              left open
         starry night

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NOTE: Haiku first publish in the book Frozen Socks, House of Haiku, 2015.

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About the Author

Alan Pizzarelli is a poet and musician. He has been writing poetry for more than 50 years. A pioneer of English-language senryu, Pizzarelli’s works have achieved worldwide acclaim and appear in a variety of textbooks, journals, and anthologies. He is the author of 14 collections of poetry, including the highly popular Frozen Socks and Mind Zaps (House of Haiku).

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