dog sutra §1

leaves turn into butterflies
they’ve understood
that as winter bites
they might fly away

dog sutra §2

leaves go to earth
berries hang
like bright bells

dog sutra §3

the two of us
you running
quicksilver
into your future
me as slow
as one step forward
and then the next

dog sutra §4

between the sloe
and the oyster
a tree singing

dog sutra §5

we hang on in hope
but you know nothing
of winter’s tooth

dog sutra §6

mist lying in pools
another country
arrive and it’s gone