Simple Poems Composed in the Morning

My sleeping old dog:
He’s dreaming—who knows what dreams?—
On the kitchen stairs
While the rain rattles the house.
How lazy, how free, how nice.

—

Draw the curtains closed!
The day has overripened.
We are tired as dogs.
We try to think of sweet things
But all we know is good night.

—

Cough spittle cough sneeze!
There’s a nip in the night air
And my bones are cold.
Cough spittle cough sneeze shiver!
Is this old body really mine?

—

Hanging up lanterns
For the winter-solstice feast,
I pricked my finger:
It was the sharp, angry jab
Of a frozen five-point star.

—

A sad face is nice,
A happy face is nicer:
Think of it like this—
The empty room is peaceful
But the full house glows with light.