Nick Virgilio 1092 Niagara Boad Camden, N.J. 08104 The first snowfall is coating a sne.ll stack of rusty cannon halls. (Modern Haiku Magazine) A water lily is "blooming in the belly of the quarter moon. (Haiku West J&igazine) A squawking marsh hawk is sharpening the bite of the March night wind. (Haiku West Magazine) After Reading St. John of the Cross... A dark autumn night... The ecllar ccrner The Aztec ruins; a fallen crucifix The farmhouse cellar; reflects the autumn moon a "barrel of elderberry ferments in the dark* A distant cicada The empty farmhcuse across the misty creek A distant cicada The empty farmhouse; and the afternoon breexe sa barrel of elderberry ( ripples the creek ferments in the cellar. a sing 1 The deserted farmhouse; a barrel of elderberry Still before dark ferments in the cellar. a single cicada fills the empty park Bitter cold night seaching the deserted church A distant cicada for the murderer* and the sudden crosswind ripples the creek Bitter cold night••• searching the deserted church The still before dark; for the murderer* a single oicada fills the empty park. Idttle brother dies; Still before the dark; cicadas are summing up a single cicada another summer. fills the empty park. The a A distant cicada 1092 Niagara Road Camden, New Jersey New the leaves axe gone That stuffed-shirt scarecrow coming apart at the seams A single pebble My smoky, hreath­ rippling the stagnant pond, in the morning mist reveals the moon. A distant whistle The mountain road: an old hobo by the firs an ancient shrine lighted stops stirring the stew* hy the autumn moon. There in the puddle, and here in the pand 1092 Niagara Hoad. Camden, New Jersey Got i The aumn moon Beneath rotting leaves "beneath the old wooden porch The autumn moon - lies a rotting rag doll the old monk shadows the stony shor of the pond Beneath moldy leaves, horns of morning-glories beneath the old wooden porch announcing the dawn Beneath rotting leaves, Like the manta ray, beneath the old wooden porch, a soft-flapping crow shadows lies a moldy doll. the murky bay. Beneath rotting leaves, beneath the old wooden porch, Like the manta ray, a moldy rag doll. a soft-flapping crow shadows the darkening bay. A row ocf doves A crow in the pone on the icy wire drops down to A crow in the pine A row of doves drops to a lower branch on the icy telephone wire knocks some snow off. dripping silence The clouded sun ?he grassy graveyard... with his long hair wind-blown, stands Whitman the bard. 1092 Niagara Hoad 0 amden, New Jersey May 19, 1969 Miners on 501 My mourning mother VA The town poet alone in the empty room: composes a Terse the autumn wind. on the town banker The town poet The first firefly - The old scarecrow^ bones my birthday is soon: « J&H J little brother dies. Y The withered corn field an eld scarecrow marks the grave The first firefly.-. \ of the soldier V my thirty-ninth birthday is soon: little brother dies. In the village, after the war...an amputee Now the war ends without any friends. a young amputee ignored by his freinds Now the war ends In the village square Now the long war ends after the war At last the war ends: an amputee in a wheel chair Now the war ends w i th out any f r ie nd s. The autumn rain - i-)k> N\ the kept-in child drumming on the window pane Nicholas A* Virgilic 1092 Niagara Hoad Camden 4, New Jersey Like manikins, some women make for good window-shopping onIt 3 ^ Soldier boy gone away My soldier boy has gone away And no letter today And sends again no letter today My soldier boy has gone away; Soldier boy gone away Again there is no letter today; Ttfho sends no letter today SoT 1 must love hira more and more faffs Who ) w my heart on some far shore* Soldier boy gone away Send me a letter today All I ask is love no more My soldier boy has gone away The mail man brings no letter today He has forgotten but 1 cannot Soldier boy gone away Send your love today Soldier boy gone away And Soldier boy gone away Send me a letter today Just a note from some far shore Don't you love me anymore? Oh, soldier boy gone away.** Don't you love me anymore ? Send me a letter todays Things are not as before Just a note from some far shore Since he left for some far shore Now he doesn't think of me Nicholas A. Virgilio 1092 Niagara Read Camden 4, New Jersey Like mannikens The many loves of Emily, That make- one great big family - 5c have ycur many a boy friend, fr-K And settle one in the endl I love my boy on the beach The nay Though summer is gone Summers come, summer^ go The many loves of Emily, What has been i knew is gone That make one great big family She has her many a boy friend Who settles down to one in the end/ Though the summer is gone his memory lives on The many loves of Emily, The boy I met at the beach That make one great big family: I loved him so Tis wise to have many a boy friend; for And settle A&di A& one in the end.i / The many loves of Emily, 'That make one great big family; She wise to have ng*ny a boy friend And settle down to one in the end. The many loves of Emily, That make one great big family The young should have many a boy friend Nicholas A. Virgilio 1092 Niagara Hoad Camden 4, New Jersey Queen Bee, Queen Bee I hope that i shall never be, Queen B As dead and wooden as this tree; Uo woodpecker to cling to me I nope that I shall never be And pick my rotting corpse worm-free. As wooden as a tree But man %s net as often is simply a walking coffin. I hope that I shall never be As deadband wooden as this tree That stands rotting and wormy But man as not as often i hope that 1 shall never be, Is 3 impiy a walking coffin. As dead and wooden as this trees Bic woodpecker to cling tc me, And pick my rotting corpse worm-free I hope that I shall never be When 1 am dead, 1 want true death As dead and wooden as this tree No walking kind before my last breath Standing rotten and wormy May X dissolve into the sea Vaporize in something airy I hope that I shall never be As dead and wooden as this tree That stands rotting and wormy No woodpecker to peck at me I hope that I shall never be As dead and wooden as this tree; A standing corpse rotting and wormy (No woodpecker to pick at me) But man as not as often Is simply a walking coffin. Nicholas A. Virgilio 1092 Niagara Road Camden 4, New Jersey A summer playground; an old storyteller h a grape Its comforting to feel tkdrs grape in summer in summer ripening ripening remains a comfort remains the shape to feel the shape of 3pring you of spring. and warms in my heart and warms the heart the heart of winter of winter with wine In the young grass with wine. a ripe grape is the shape of spring Though hlooming This grape T Though ripening in summer in summer ripening is always 1092 Niagara Road Camden 4, New Jersey January 26, 1964 Editor The Hku A ve ile d w Oman•.. The autumn wind... stealing through the cemetery tearing the scarecrow's sleeve, kneeling at a fresh grave. hearing a hawk's cry. Poet at the dccr... A hot summer day... touching the wake cf the knoh, steeping in haze, clutching a fire...fly. silencing cicadas. Poet at the doer., clasping the wake of the knoh, A hot summer day; grasping a fire. --- fly l a lone cicada Hot summer days J A verse of red-wings... a lone cicada steeps rising from wild rice, in haze. scrawling on the billowing cloud. Hot summer day; A verse of red-wings... scrawling on the billowing cloud, a lone UPOfcJ Palling into wild rice. Hot summer day; a distant cicada A verse of red-wings... in haze. writing on *the billowing cloud, alighting in wild rice* Red-winged blackbirds... rising from wild rice, writing on the billowing cloud. Nicholas A. Yirgilic 1092 Niagara Road Camden 4, New Jersey JLi ly A mountain of melons... Autumn afterglow..* cradling the moon blending oak leaves at the window, attending the fireside. The swollen river... choking on a rook in its neck The swearing farmer... stoking a croaking bullfrog. tearing the jar of water from her» smearing his daughter’s hand-print. A withered tree... clutching the Orange -Ball-sun, The ember of dawn interrupting the game of lacrosse. steeping in the river The night wind... The ember of dawn... honing the crescent, peeping cn the river sculpting snow-drifts. The autumn moon... peeping from a cloud, The pine hr an che s steeping in the river. toasting the autumn moon The autumn moon... The pine branches... peeping from a cloud, touching the pagoda's eaves, creeping on the river. toasting the autumn moon.