Precarious [Haiku]

boulder on a slope: 
one grain of sandstone erodes
at a time, until…

“A Poison Tree” by William Blake [w/ Audio]

I was angry with my friend;
I told my wrath, my wrath did end.
I was angry with my foe:
I told it not, my wrath did grow.

And I watered it in fears,
Night & morning with my tears:
And I sunned it with smiles,
And with soft deceitful wiles.

And it grew both day and night.
Till it bore an apple bright.
And my foe beheld it shine,
And he knew that it was mine.

And into my garden stole,
When the night had veild the pole;
In the morning glad I see;
My foe outstretched beneath the tree.

DAILY PHOTO: Uttari Betta

Survivor [Free Verse]

What a thing to return from war --
a survivor --
To find that so little has survived:
Not the grass, nor garden,
Not the roof, nor lintels...

The homestead, an overgrown ruin:
Like a remnant of a once great
Civilization that was one's
Peace of mind.

Lily Pad [Haiku]

lily pad sprawl:
herons march, beak-down,
on the shifting surface.

PROMPT: Dinner

If you could host a dinner and anyone you invite was sure to come, who would you invite?

It would need to be someone who wouldn’t be put off or demoralized by my primitive cooking skills. So, not anyone particularly fancy or famous.

DAILY PHOTO: Tbilisi Balconies

“Swordsman” by Jia Dao [w/ Audio]

Ten years honing this fine blade,
And it has not drawn blood.
Now, you'll see of what we're made:
Who, wronged, is owed in blood?

The Original: 劍客: 十年磨一劍, 霜刃未曾試. 今日把示君, 誰有不平事.

Vortex Drop [Tanka]

drifting toward falls,
a leaf twists & pivots
-- as if frantically --
as if to avoid the fall,
then slips over & glides.

DAILY PHOTO: The Crescent Hotel, Baku

NOTE: Supposedly, the crescent-shaped building is not occupied. The initial build was apparently structurally unsound, and they have been working to retrofit a solution.