Secret Sunset [Haiku]

over the mountains,
the sun is setting
like a bad secret.

DAILY PHOTO: Mountain Villages, Nepal

“The Sick Rose” by William Blake [w/ Audio]

O Rose thou art sick.
The invisible worm
That flies in the night
In the howling storm,

Has found out thy bed
Of crimson joy:
And his dark secret love
Does thy life destroy.

Night Heron [Senryū]

a night heron,
up & about at sunrise,
like diehard revellers.

A Tender Shade of Green [Haiku]

the leaves that hang
out over the river are
Early Spring green.

Lone Pine [Haiku]

a lone pine stands --
mangled and misshapen --
above other trees.

DAILY PHOTO: Watching Cloud Layers from a Mountaintop

Image

“Natural” [Poetry Style #10] by Sikong Tu [w/ Audio]

Stoop anywhere and pluck it up,
But if you look 'round - it's not there.
Any path may lead you to it.
A stroke of the brush becomes Spring,
And the flowers are in full bloom. --
It's like seeing a new year dawn:
Snatch at it and you won't have it.
Seize it by force and you'll be poorer.
Be like the old mountain hermit --
Like duckweed gathered by stream flow.
Find calm amidst storms of feeling
By knowing Heaven's harmonies.

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 tenth of the twenty-four poems.

Sparrow Curiosity [Haiku]

a sparrow alights,
investigates debris,
flits away.

Tree of Life [Haiku]

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