The Last LeafFirst published in Frogpond 13:1, February 1990. The “empty swings” verse also appeared in After Shock (San Francisco: Two Autumns Press, 1990). The entire sequence later appeared in Tremors (Foster City, California: Press Here, 1990). See an Italian translation of this sequence by Lucia Fontana. See also my “Holes in the Awning” haibun.
after the quake the weathervane pointing to earth
autumn sun amid the rubble quaking aspen
after the quake candlelight dinner
aftershock tripping on the flashlight in the dark
another victim— laying the body bag on the flower bed
aftershock empty swings swaying
nightfall the last leaf trembles |