Author Archives: B Gourley

Unknown's avatar

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.

Chinese Painting [Tanka]

Posted on by
Reply
Photograph taken at sundown in Vang Vieng, Laos.
sunlight washes out
 the distant mountains; 
  they look like
 an old Chinese painting --
 ink faded with age.

PROMPT: Pandemic

Posted on by
Reply
Daily writing prompt
How have you adapted to the changes brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic?
View all responses

That’s so far in the rearview that I can’t remember. I’m thinking about the next one. It’ll be here before you know it.

I’m not quite sure what to do about it now that the CDC guidelines are to drink a shot of bleach each morning for the germs and take one bath in raw sewage before bedtime each evening for a robust immune system.

Barbed Wire Highway [Senryū]

Posted on by
Reply
Photograph of fire ants on a strand of barbed wire in the countryside near Vang Vieng, Laos.
fire ant highway
 on a barbed wire strand
  makes me itch.

Dragonfly Eye [Lyric Poem]

Posted on by
Reply
Photograph taken at Don Mueang Temple in the north Bangkok suburbs, features waterlilies in the fore and guardian statues in the background. 
The dragonfly strafing lilies 
 doesn't know how very silly
 a bantam taller than a ram
 seems to a ram tall as a filly.

DAILY PHOTO: Turquoise Waters of Kuang Si

Posted on by
Reply
Photograph of bathers at Kuang Si waterfall in Ban Long, Laos.
Photograph of teal water at one of the terraced drop offs of Kuang Si waterfall in Laos.
Photograph of a cascade and turquoise pool at Kuang Si waterfall in Laos.
Photograph of rushing water and a teal pool at Kuang Si waterfall in Laos.

24/7 Wakeup Call [Lyric Poem]

Posted on by
Reply
Photograph taken from Wat Pa Phon Phoa at Luang Prabang, Laos. 
In a mountain village,
   the roosters crow all day.
 Hopes of mid-day napping
   are dashed along the way.

PROMPT: Morning Rituals

Posted on by
Reply
Daily writing prompt
What are your morning rituals? What does the first hour of your day look like?
View all responses

Well, I poop… How much detail are you looking for here?

Mountain Azalea [Lyric Poem]

Posted on by
Reply
Photograph of a cluster of pink Mountain Azalea with barren woods in the background. Taken on the Sawnee Mountain Trail in North Georgia.
One cluster of Mountain Azalea
   Stands out like royal regalia,
 Adorning a near naked vagrant --
    But much more pleasingly fragrant.

Blue Sky [Haiku]

Posted on by
Reply
Photograph of bare trees and blue sky taken on the Sawnee Mountain Trail in North Georgia, near Cumming. 
blue sky
 seen through bare limbs;
  when will Spring arrive?

DAILY PHOTO: Scenes From the North Laos Countryside

Posted on by
Reply
Photograph of creek, farmland, and mountains near Nam Dee, Luang Namtha, Laos.
Photograph of farmland and mountains near Nam Dee, Luang Namtha, Laos.
Photograph of creek, farmland, and mountains near Nam Dee, Luang Namtha, Laos.