SPARROW FOOTPRINTS
(A Nijuin Renku)

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remaining snow
all the sparrow footprints
by the baker's shop

a rag of carnival streamer
flapping, caught in an eddy

our dandelions
turn out to be enough
for a crown and a bracelet

the touch that turns to gold
a blessing or a curse?

* * *

subtle pull
of the dispute moon
on every ebb and flow

back home she tells him
about the jasmine nights

dusting the framed photos,
the most important of all
kept out of sight

Hubble images - each one
more colorful than the other

an octopus swirls its legs
camouflages into a new pattern
and whisks off again

a set of long sharp teeth
snaps the water

* * *

that winter we had
polenta for breakfast, lunch,
and dinner

the premature baby
kept warm in a tea cosy

when my heart
is almost breaking, Lord,
I want Jesus to walk with me

a secret collection of coins
for throwing in the wishing well

forgotten long ago
a scrap metal pile comes alive
under the moonlight

just a hint of sweet decay
as the leaves start to turn

* * *

birthday cake candles
all blown out at once
and the years fall away

did I call my new boss
by the wrong name?

feeling the weight
of cherry blossom froth
in an outstretched hand

nothing left but dust
from the wings of a butterfly

Elizabeth: verses # 2, 4, 5, 7, 9, 12, 14, 16, 17, 19.

Tzetzka: verses # 1, 3, 6, 8, 10, 11, 15, 18, 20.

Verse #13 is part of a Presbyterian hymn, public domain.

© Elizabeth McFarland, Tzetzka Ilieva
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© E-magazine LiterNet, 17.01.2014, № 1 (170)

Other publikations:
Frogpond Journal. Fall 2013, Vol. 36, Issue 3, p. 114.