overripe
persimmon, plums and pears
in a bowl
beside the brushes and paint
I laid out last week

harbor seals
return to their haul-out
wave after wave
goodbye to my beach house
and I head back to work

Neal Whitman in both Western and Japanese form poetry welcomes the challenge of concision: to say much with a few words. He writes a monthly feature essay, "Poetry Prof" for Getting Something Read, an online journal dedicated to short works www.shortpoem.org