To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time by Robert Herrick [w/ Audio]

Gather ye rose-buds while ye may,
   Old Time is still a-flying;
 And this same flower that smiles today
   Tomorrow will be dying. 

The glorious lamp of heaven, the sun,
   The higher he's a-getting,
 The sooner will his race be run,
   And nearer he's to setting.

That age is best which is the first,
   When youth and blood are warmer;
 But being spent, the worse, and worst
   Times still succeed the former.

Then be not coy, but use your time,
   And while ye may, go marry;
 For having lost but once your prime,
   You may forever tarry.

PROMPT: Historical Figure

If you could meet a historical figure, who would it be and why?

Assuming no babel fish technology – i.e. that we’d need a common language – I’d say William Blake, Walt Whitman, or Mark Twain. The latter would probably be the most fun, the middle the most uplifting, and the first the most insightful (or perhaps most mystical.)

The Langur Family [Haiku]

a troop of langurs:
 five monkeys doing five things
  as one family.

PROMPT: Month

What’s your favorite month of the year? Why?

In temperate climates, I like early Autumn — say, October. In the tropics, whatever period is neither intensely hot nor intensely monsoon-y, is aces. Where I’m at now: November through March.

Why? I overheat when it’s hot, and that’s unpleasant. I’m fine with rain, but being constantly waterlogged is no fun. I like a cool Goldilocks zone.

DAILY PHOTO: From Hilltop to Hilltop

Growing in Stone [Haiku]

from old stone ruins
grow hardy weeds, raising
flowery heads skyward.

DAILY PHOTO: Minchukallu Betta

DAILY PHOTO: Big Almaty Lake: Two Views

Glass River [Haiku]

the flowing river
looks still as glass, until
fallen leaf ripples.