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About B Gourley

Bernie Gourley is a writer living in Bangalore, India. His poetry collection, Poems of the Introverted Yogi is now available on Amazon. He teaches yoga, with a specialization in pranayama, and holds a RYT500 certification. For most of his adult life, he practiced martial arts, including: Kobudo, Muay Thai, Kalaripayattu, and Taiji. He is a world traveler, having visited more than 40 countries around the globe.

Four Haiku by Kobayashi Issa [w/ Audio]

muddy clogs
beside each gate;
Spring is here.
"don't swat!"
the fly rubs its hands,
then rubs its feet.
autumn rain,
a small sumo wrestler
pushes through.
sleeping in a row,
the Shinano mountains:
under snow blanket.
In Japanese:


門門の下駄の泥より春立ちぬ




やれ打つな蠅が手を摺り足をする




秋の雨小さき角力通りけり





寝ならぶやしなのの山も夜の雪




From: Wilson, William Scott. 2023. A Beginners Guide to Japanese Haiku. North Clarendon, VT: Tuttle Publishing, 224pp.

Banyan Columns [Haiku]

banyan roots
form cathedral columns
for the inner sanctum.

Tree Weave [Haiku]

branches twist
in pretzel-like weaves,
stronger for it.

DAILY PHOTO: Pécs in Winter

PROMPT: Cartoon

Daily writing prompt
What’s your favorite cartoon?

As a kid, I would definitely say I was more Looney Tunes than Hanna Barbera. I particularly liked “The Road Runner Show” and episodes with Yosemite Sam. Probably because the violence seemed more authentic and characters like Marvin the Martian and Yosemite Sam were salable as murderous psychopaths. I watched Hanna Barbera, but it always seemed like softball by comparison.

Today, I would have to say Rick and Morty.

Purple Cow by Gelett Burgess [w/ Audio]

I never saw a Purple Cow,
I never hope to see one,
But I can tell you, anyhow,
I'd rather see than be one.

Willow Watching [Haiku]

riverside willows
viewed through the reeds --
voyeuristically.

The Thistle’s Moment [Haiku]

in late summer,
thistles flower brightly --
then fluff & cede to wind.

DAILY PHOTO: The Grounds of Festetics-kastély, Dég

PROMPT: Less

Daily writing prompt
What could you do less of?

Truth be told, the answer is reading, but as hardcore addictions go, the side-effects are better than with heroin or meth (and almost completely opposite, though it does sometimes make me sleepy.) So, I think I’ll go with social media, which I probably do less of than average, but that’s still way too much.