“Fable” by Ralph Waldo Emerson [w/ Audio]

The mountain and the squirrel  
Had a quarrel;
And the former called the latter ‘Little Prig.’
Bun replied,
‘You are doubtless very big;
But all sorts of things and weather
Must be taken in together,
To make up a year
And a sphere.
And I think it no disgrace
To occupy my place.
If I'm not so large as you,
You are not so small as I,
And not half so spry.
I'll not deny you make
A very pretty squirrel track;
Talents differ; all is well and wisely put;
If I cannot carry forests on my back,
Neither can you crack a nut.’

Temple Mural [Tanka]

a temple mural
shows monk and novice
admiring Fall leaves,
as I admire the mural -
surrounded by Spring green.

Transitory [Haiku]

butterfly lands
on flower, pumps wings twice,
and sputters off.

Autumn Moon [Haiku]

a single branch,
leafless but bloom-laden,
against the Autumn moon.

PROMPT: 30 Things

Daily writing prompt
List 30 things that make you happy.

1.) love; 2.) a glorious turn of phrase; 3.) discovery; 4.) walking; 5.) swimming; 6.) stumbling upon an interesting and / or novel idea; 7.) movement; 8.) travel; 9.) street food; 10.) quiet; 11.) health; 12.) recognition that when things are at their very worst, they must get better — because everything is impermanent; 13.) an intense stretch; 14.) Whitman’s “Leaves of Grass;” 15.) undiscovered country; 16.) the hanging moment; 17.) a mystery-laden world; 18.) a moment of flow; 19.) a mountain path; 20.) a clear stream; 21.) the way of non-adversariality; 22.) a thing stripped to its simplest form; 23.) the moment breath turns the tide; 24.) animals being animals; 25.) a brief instant of free fall; 26.) the recognition that something that used to cause me angst or fear no longer does; 27.) when body, movement, and the world fall into alignment; 28.) first contact with someplace / something new; 29.) connection; 30.) the first sign that the struggle is paying off.

Hermit Hut [Haiku]

a hermit-hut hides
on the cloud-enshrouded peak
two valleys away.

Rain Dance [Haiku]

ripples dance
on a flooded paddy
as rain starts, slowly.

Gen Z Stare? [Senryū]

perched magpie
stares into the distance.
gen z? perhaps.

Petal Drop [Senryū]

dogeared petal 
can take no more --
flutters in a gust.

PROMPT: Dinosaur

Daily writing prompt
If you could bring back one dinosaur, which one would it be?

Do not make me bring Jeff Goldblum up in here. [No wonder they are still rebooting those movies every two years, people are not getting the message.]