Troubled Bridge [Free Verse]

Photograph of a railway bridge over the Black Warrior River in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
Iron skeleton
spans the water.

Weeds sprout from ties,
rust eats its way under
flaking paint & over
rivet heads.

I remember the whistle's blow,
a long, long time ago.

Locus [Common Meter]

One clump of flowers has the power
To lure the eye’s focus.
The background blurs as mind infers
Which hue shall be the locus.

DAILY PHOTO: Scenes from the 2026 Atlanta St. Patrick’s Day Parade

Peach Blossoms [Lyric Poem]

Photograph of Peach Blossoms taken in early March in Atlanta's Piedmont Park.
I see the Peach Blossoms of Spring,
And think of old Li Bai’s answer.

In wordless replies, the world sings;
In unpeopled worlds, there’s a dancer.

The referenced poem by Li Bai [李白] is entitled Question and Answer in the Mountains [山中问答] and is crudely translated as:

I'm asked why I live in mountains.
I laugh while giving no reply.

Peach Blossoms flow from sight & mind;
Beyond men, another Earth & Sky.

Or, in Chinese:

问余何意栖碧山,
笑而不答心自闲。

桃花流水窅然去,
别有天地非人间。

Spring [Haiku]

Nature writes “Spring”
in colorful blooms, even
over rough bark.

DAILY PHOTO: A Cloud in the Sky

DAILY PHOTO: A Temple in Tainan

Image

Photograph of a temple in Tainan, Taiwan under blue skies. Anping Kaitai Tianhou Temple (安平開台天后宮)

Yellow Blossom [Haiku]

yellow blossoms
herald the Spring:
fragrance spreads the news.

DAILY PHOTO: Dramatic Skies Over Georgia Tech

Red Maple [Tanka]

early Spring seed pods
of Red Maple hold tight
- patiently —
til one day in late Spring:
they’ll drop, spin, and fly.