“Remember” by Christina Rossetti [w/ Audio]

Remember me when I am gone away,
Gone far away into the silent land;
When you can no more hold me by the hand,
Nor I half turn to go yet turning stay.
Remember me when no more day by day
You tell me of our future that you plann'd:
Only remember me; you understand
It will be late to counsel then or pray.
Yet if you should forget me for a while
And afterwards remember, do no grieve:
For if the darkness and corruption leave
A vestige of the thoughts that once I had,
Better by far you should forget and smile
Than that you should remember and be sad.

Snake Hijinx [Kyōka]

i see snakes jutting
from the water; usually
i’d discover
it’s not snakes but sticks,
but today isn’t the usual.

DAILY PHOTO: Tiny Tents in the Valley, Goechala Trek

Roughhousing Snakes [Haiku]

at water’s edge,
snakes wrestle: writhing, twining,
but slipping the pin.

“Death, Be Not Proud” by John Donne [w/ Audio]

Death, be not proud, though some have called thee
Mighty and dreadful, for thou art not so;
For those whom thou think'st thou dost overthrow
Die not, poor Death, nor yet canst thou kill me.
From rest and sleep, which but thy pictures be,
Much pleasure; then from thee much more must flow,
And soonest our best men with thee do go,
Rest of their bones, and soul's delivery.
Thou art slave to fate, chance, kings, and desperate men,
And dost with poison, war, and sickness dwell,
And poppy or charms can make us sleep as well
And better than thy stroke; why swell'st thou then?
One short sleep past, we wake eternally
And death shall be no more; Death, thou shalt die.

PROMPT: Animal

Which animal would you compare yourself to and why?

Human being (Homo Sapiens) bears the closest resemblance.

Why? For starters, humans are animals. And I think if I were put in a lineup of varied species and a random intelligent person were asked to pick the Homo Sapiens, they’d pick me.

Autumn Mind [Haiku]

paper lanterns
in the Daoist temple
turn my mind to Fall.

Spring Dream [Haiku]

one pink-laden tree
stands amid a wall
of spring greenery.

DAILY PHOTO: Taipei Street Art