Late November

Once fiery leaves
now fall ahead of the snow.
The trees look half dressed. - Jeff Barnes

Doughnut Variations

Every spring
my love and I
drive to the mountains
of Eastern Pennsylvania
to see the doughnut trees
in full bloom.

Legend has it
that no one who has
ever entered a doughnut hole
has come out.

When my grandfather,
relaxing with a cigar,
blew smoke rings,
the ghost of my grandmother
snatched them out of the air,
dunked them in coffee
and ate them.

Paleontologists digging in Montana
once found a fossilized doughnut
in the rib cage
of a Tyrannosaurus rex.

My most profound
childhood experience
was seeing Heaven
when I looked through the hole
of a doughnut shaped cloud. -- Jeff Barnes

Ode to Mr. Peanut

He's an urbane winsome dandy
with his white gloves and his spats,
his elegant ebony walking stick,
his monocle and his top hat.

He's a smooth-talking persuader,
a metrosexual fashion plate.
Not even a perpetual calendar
has had as many dates.

Glamorous models, princesses, and movie stars
have all fallen under his spell.
His magnetism is amazing for someone
who keeps his nuts in a shell. - Jeff Barnes

Haiku

Orange morning glow --
November leaves like embers.
Cat lies on the deck. - Jeff Barnes