First Day

The following “Haiku from Index Cards” progress through the seasons—well, almost all of them.

first day of the year—

I eat an apple

with my left hand

             (written 2010, published 2017)

first day of spring—

I close my eyes

to brush my teeth

             (written 2013, published 2022)

first day of summer—

my daughter begs

for a higher underdog

             (written 2013, published 2024)

first day of autumn—

paint flecks in the grass

by granddad’s toolshed

             (written 2010, published 2016)

[Amazingly, I don’t seem to have published a “first day of winter” poem, but I’ll work on that.]