Ruins in the Tall Grass [Free Verse]

Nature dresses up the detritus 
of our fallen civilizations.

After all but the most resolute
stonework has crumbled,

cool faces of stone
having sloughed off to
leave rugged, pitted rock,

all that stands testament 
to life is the tall grass
that sways in the wind.

Bucktoothed Monkey Mastermind [Common Meter]

I saw a bucktoothed monkey sit
on the ground all alone.
It looked the doofus - its dental-
mental shortfall shone,
but is the size of incisors
a measure of one's smarts?
Has anyone done the study,
gathered data, made the charts?

What if that dentally-outsized
primate is a dreamer-
a mastermind, a supervillain,
or just a first-rate schemer?
What if it just wants us to think
that it's a huge dimwit?
So, it doesn't show its erudition,
or its razor-keen wit.

Instead, it waits for us to be
lulled to a false repose,
so that it can show us we're all
a bunch of biased schmoes.

Golden Silk Spider [Haiku]

the spider’s mind
is one with the silken web,
tripped by vibration

Sloth Bear [Senryu]

turning towards one,
the sloth bear becomes
more bear than sloth

Two Birds [Haiku]

two birds feed;
one eats, and one wonders
about the other

Yellow Cosmos [Haiku]

butterflies land,
but don't loiter, upon
buttery petals

March of the Myna [Common Meter]

A Myna bird comes marching in;
it'll soon rule the roost.
It seldom fails to have its way
anyplace it's introduced.

The goggle shapes around its eyes
make its stare more intense,
but compare it to a raven;
you'll see it's pure pretense.

Like kudzu and cockroaches,
they can't help but run amok.
Should they come to your neighborhood -
well, that's just your luck.