Kolkata Limerick

There was a young scholar of Kolkata
who'd debate, Siddhartha to Sartre,
but it wasn't so wise
to philosophize
with guys who drive cabs in Howrah.

City Swallowed [Haibun]

Rubble cubes lie like piled dice. Temples and throne halls collapsed into mossy blocks brought low by the meager -- if inexorable -- forces of water drips and grass roots, roots that became wedges, splitting stone from stone. People push the blocks back together in homage to ancestors, but turn one's back and the hungry jungle consumes. Those ancestors crafted such sturdy stuff out of stout stone blocks. How much more quickly will our planned obsolescent cities be swallowed?


stout stone blocks -
toppled, dissolved, buried -
a city swallowed

Rishikesh Limerick

A visitor to scenic Rishikesh
met a wandering bovine in the flesh.
It's only notable
cuz it sought a table
in a mo-mo joint of old Rishikesh.

Tree & Pond [Haibun]

Beside a pond, a tree reaches, its branches stretched wide and skyward, blocking the harsh cloud-penetrating rays. Locals sit on the lush grass, their backsides wet, their backs resting on the rough and slanting trunk. They watch ripples echo outward from the mouth tips of feeding fish, those concentric rings etched into in the mirrored waters - and yet moving. In time, watchers will become ripple mesmerized, and will experience the stiff twitch and head nods of an impending nap.


sitting pondside,
ripples from feeding fish
lull my mind 

Mumbai Limerick

There once was a dabbawalla from Mumbai,
carrying curry, rice, roti, and dal fry,
got hit by an auto
whose driver was blotto,
but still made his deliveries on time. 

Debrecen Limerick

An old organist from Debrecen
couldn't decide which organ to play when.
The big church had two -
one old and one new,
and they sat them at opposite ends.