Four tanka

for Heidi in memoriam

treetops rocking
together   apart
in the wind
the too-early chill
of a cousin’s death

*

curled red tongue
of a fallen leaf caught
by a dead twig
without even trying
if dying is an art

*

losing its bark
a rock oak killed
by spongy moths
given over to fungus
sprouts a golden mane

*

autumn’s here
in orange and yellow
black gum leaves
and this world has one fewer
voice raised in praise