an ancient mountain,
weathered to rubble,
stands background
to a city that's lived
but a blip of mountain time.
Mountain Time [Tanka]
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Category Archives: Kyōka
Cormorant Patience [Kyōka]
the cormorant,
glistening & dripping,
must air dry
before it’s a bird again;
humans cramp in the pool.
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Snake Hijinx [Kyōka]
i see snakes jutting
from the water; usually
i’d discover
it’s not snakes but sticks,
but today isn’t the usual.
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Holdout [Tanka]
a tree’s last blossom
seems to wait til no one
is looking to drop.
what a thing it must be
to see a holdout yield.
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Hide Your Light [Kyōka]
the rising sun
hides behind winter trees
as a fat kid
hides behinds a fence post,
fooling no one.
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World Writ Minimalist [Kyōka]
sunrise paints the haze
the color of campfire flames,
and nothing looks real,
but rather like a painting
by an artist, skilled & lazy.
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Stream Toll [Kyōka]
even a stream
charges a toll, and
thwarts cheaters.
step on stone: slip & fall;
sink calf deep: you may pass.
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Multitasking Youth [Kyōka]
a brave youth
plummets into the stepwell,
all the while
looking like she's on a stroll,
blowing her nose and waving.
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Bougainvillea Greetings [Tanka]
bougainvilleas
beside the grand temple steps
have dropped petals,
but it seems the gardners
never let them hit the ground.
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Urban Jungle [Kyōka]
in a city park,
muscular baobabs &
wiry strangler figs
provide residences
for the fierce squirrels.
Tiger Riding for Beginners 