Little Dragon [Lyric Poem]

Ancient temple carved with features:
Beasts, men, gods and mythic creatures.
Imagine my surprise when I
Came face-to-face with this lil’ guy.

The lizard did his level best
To stay stock still with puffed-out chest.
To pass for a chiseled dragon,
But couldn’t keep its tail from waggin’.

World Lung [Haiku]

trunk splits to branches
that stretch to the edge
of oxygen’s crossing.

DAILY PHOTO: UVCE [UNIVERSITY OF VISVESVARAYA COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING]

Understory [Haiku]

understory thrives:
light plants & shadow plants
each finds its place.

Watcher [Haiku]

lone watcher leans
on pagoda railing
to view sunrise.

DAILY PHOTO: Bara Imambara

shamless plug: THE PENGUIN BOOK OF POEMS ON THE INDIAN CITY

I have a piece in this new collection, out today (May 30, 2025) in the Indian market and later in the year for international markets.

GoodReads Page Amazon.in Page

shamless plug: THE PENGUIN BOOK OF POEMS ON THE INDIAN CITY

I have a piece in this new collection, out tomorrow (May 30, 2025) in the Indian market and later in the year for international markets.

GoodReads Page Amazon.in Page

Lanterns [Kyōka]

rows of lanterns —
a jack-o-lantern patch —
lights the temple
on a dark, rainy night;
rain splats on a tin roof.

DAILY PHOTO: Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar Samajik Parivartan Gallery