The Last Leaf

First 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 the Press Here page for the book where this sequence appears. 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