Death of a Stout Tree [Common Meter]

Oh, those high waters are rising;
They've spilled their banks in flood,
Slouching toward the Tree of Life:
Its roots immersed in mud.

That tree is just so stout & straight --
Unambitious of height --
Not man nor beast could knock it down,
Regardless of their might.

But just a long soak of its roots --
A gift of too much good --
And then a well-timed gust of wind
Will turn that tree to wood.

Willows [Haiku]

willows dangle
over flowing waters:
reaching not touching.

Strong Bow [Haiku]

a hilltop tree,
bowed as if wind-shaped,
won’t budge for a breeze.

Lush & Stony [Haiku]

stony ground:
lush grass grows
in every divot.

Lily Ring [Haiku]

ring of lily pads:
crowd around where the frog
plopped into pond.

Heed the Grass [Senryū]

the lawn blossoms:
attracting minds that never
paid heed the grass.

Drowned Dry [Haiku]

desiccated stalks
jut from standing water:
drowned dry.

Windswept [Haiku]

windswept tree
on the rocky hilltop:
bare and bended.

Stingproof [Haiku]

the Buddha sits:
untroubled by the bees
enticed by garlands.

DAILY PHOTO: A Flowery Extravaganza