DAILY PHOTO: Burial Mounds of Gyeongju
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Two Trails [Senryū]
“Fable” by Ralph Waldo Emerson [w/ Audio]
The mountain and the squirrel
Had a quarrel;
And the former called the latter ‘Little Prig.’
Bun replied,
‘You are doubtless very big;
But all sorts of things and weather
Must be taken in together,
To make up a year
And a sphere.
And I think it no disgrace
To occupy my place.
If I'm not so large as you,
You are not so small as I,
And not half so spry.
I'll not deny you make
A very pretty squirrel track;
Talents differ; all is well and wisely put;
If I cannot carry forests on my back,
Neither can you crack a nut.’
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PROMPT: Expensive Meal
Daily writing prompt
What’s the most money you’ve ever spent on a meal? Was it worth it?
I can’t remember, but it’s never been worth it. Seems like the more one pays for a meal, the hungrier one leaves it. Enjoy your “foam reductions” if you like, but it’s not for me. I’ll take street food any day — cheap, filling, flavorful street food. It’s got character and doesn’t try too hard.
My palate may be unrefined, but — also — I’m no sucker.
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Temple Mural [Tanka]
a temple mural
shows monk and novice
admiring Fall leaves,
as I admire the mural -
surrounded by Spring green.
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Transitory [Haiku]
butterfly lands
on flower, pumps wings twice,
and sputters off.
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DAILY PHOTO: Beomeosa Temple
PROMPT: News
Daily writing prompt
Scour the news for an entirely uninteresting story. Consider how it connects to your life. Write about that.
A bus strike starts today. My chance of dying on the grill of a crosstown bus is substantially reduced for some indefinite period.
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“Who says my poems are poems” by Ryōkan [w/ Audio]
Who says my poems are poems?
They aren't poems at all.
Only when you understand my poems aren't poems
Can we talk poetry.
This translation by Sam Hamill in The Poetry of Zen (2004) Boston: Shambhala, p. 159
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Autumn Moon [Haiku]
a single branch,
leafless but bloom-laden,
against the Autumn moon.
Tiger Riding for Beginners 