DAILY PHOTO: Scenes from Cubbon Park

Tree of Life [Haiku]

home to birds & squirrels,
the tree holds life in every
crotch & hollow.

“To One in Paradise” by Edgar Allan Poe [w/ Audio]

Thou wast that all to me, love,
For which my soul did pine --
A green isle in the sea, love,
A fountain and a shrine,
All wreathed with fairy fruits and flowers,
And all the flowers were mine.

Ah, dream to bright to last!
Ah, starry Hope! that didst arise
But to be overcast!
A voice from the Future cries,
"On! on!" -- but o'er the Past
(Dim gulf!) my spirit hovering lies
Mute, motionless, aghast!

For, alas! alas! with me
The light of Life is o'er!
No more -- no more -- no more --
(Such language holds the solemn sea
To the sands upon the shore)
Shall bloom the thunder-blasted tree,
Or the stricken eagle soar!

And all my days are trances,
And all my nightly dreams
Are where thy grey eye glances,
And where thy footstep gleams --
In what ethereal dances,
By what eternal streams.

Duck Tracks [Haiku]

ducks in a pond
drift through the algae,
their track, self-healing.

DAILY PHOTO: Above the Clouds

Pristine Blossom [Haiku]

a pristine blossom falls,
tumbling through grime & grit
but still unsoiled.

“Strong” [Poetry Style #8] by Sikong Tu [w/ Audio]

Walk with a mind that's clear and unburdened, 
With life force that flares -n- flows like rainbows,
Traversing the witch's gorge through the mountains --
Among the floating clouds and blowing winds.
Drink up the spiritual; dine on the real;
Let them ever build up in your body.
Emulate the health and might of the gods,
Preserve your energy through harmony.
Be one with Heaven, be one with the Earth.
See in yourself divine transformations.
Know all this to the utmost -- be all this,
And hold on to it 'til the bitter end.

NOTE: The late Tang Dynasty poet, Sikong Tu (a.k.a. Ssŭ-k‘ung T‘u,) wrote an ars poetica entitled Twenty-Four Styles of Poetry. It presents twenty-four poems that are each in a different tone, reflecting varied concepts from Taoist philosophy and aesthetics. Above is a translation of the eighth of the twenty-four poems.

Mountain Forest [Haiku]

a cave-like forest:
then valley and sun align,
and one ‘s outside-in.

DAILY PHOTO: Covered Bridge, Pai

Fishing by Feel [Haiku]

herons & egrets
wade in pond algae,
blindly fishing.