It was a tiny thing. A gold-plated romantic heart no more than half an inch wide, with a faceted red garnet mounted in the center. It hung from a necklace chain, also gold-plated. Most of the plating was worn off after years of hanging around her neck, eroded by her habit of reaching up to hold it. She had done that more often over the last seven years since her husband’s death. [continue…]

Brilliant blue in a half-cloud sky,
“Quiet air,” reflects the vane.
The world is lit by cleaner light
The morning after a rain. [continue…]

Several haiku-adjacent verses about the simple things in my life. [continue…]