Fall & Winter Haiku from John McDonald

Even though the snow is not supposed to come until the weekend, tonight feels like the night before a snow day.  I think I'll take the time to post John McDonald's fall and winter haiku.  A number of his fall haiku reference the rowan tree, which Americans may know as the mountain ash.  Above is a picture of a rowan tree in Scotland.

1

chestnut rowan and birch  -
autumn lights
through the valley

2

night watchman
doing his rounds  -
full moon

3

in the sun
stretching an elegant leg  -
the monastery cat

4

frosty morning  -
out from a jar
the dried lavender's blue breath

5

his shoes
left out all night  -
full of leaves

6

cold morning
the childrens' red faces  -
rowan berries too


7

empty playground  -
leaves roll over
the hopscotch beds

Photography by Juan Tituana

1
Christmas eve -
the hostel full
of one-time santas


2

full moon -
the skaters glide
in tranquillity

3

stinging hailstones -
the guitarist's
blue fingers

4

old lady
gathering holly
beads of blood

5

cobbles glitter in the rain -
the clown's face
drips into his pail

6

Christmas snow -
each tree
bearing its brother

7

through naked branches
the old cow stares:
antlered

8

the autistic boy
conducts his own carols -
gulls beseeching

9

Christmas flooding -
an underwater
rocking-horse

Let's start with Hank Jones' "Alone Together."  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AfxYINcwC5s

I've been listening to his "I Remember You" quite a bit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XNiWgOTp4T8

Here he plays with his brother the drummer, Elvin Jones: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bKvunOrmG78

This is a longer selection, but it shows the length and versatility of Hank Jones' career.  At the time of this 2006 performance, he was in his eighties.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__7k0Bb0jSg

His "Yardbird Suite" (with his quartet) is from 2009 and sounds very energetic:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_xWNHrOWGyI

Photography by Juan Tituana