Half-Hearted Apology to a Reptile [Common Meter]

Apologies Mister Lizard,
didn't mean to step on you.
But you kind of blend with the rock.
It's not like in the zoo;
where there's a sign and pointing kids
and barriers, to boot.
When one looks just like one's backdrop,
it behooves one to scoot.

Sorry again about your tail.
I'm sure it will grow back.
Call it a teachable moment,
&
get an orange knapsack!

Great Egret [Haibun]

The egret stands on stiff, still legs. By contrast, its neck is coiled into a sinuous strike position. For a long time, only its eyes move, saccading in time with the darting prey below the water's mirrored surface. The egret plays shrub, hoping to lure tiny fish into its shadow, within striking distance of its flexible neck.

the egret stands,
moving only its eyes...
then spears water  

Crab Phalanx [Haiku]

fiddler crabs
form a phalanx;
claws ready

The Murder [Kyoka]

a murder of crows
congregates on the concrete,
and I feel angst.
sure, I’m smarter than a crow…
but smarter than the murder?

Claw Harvesters [Common Meter]

The crab, it had one tiny claw;
it couldn't be its first.
What kind of species harvests limbs?
Oh, they must be the worst.

Persistence of Youth [Senryu]

baby macaque: 
no match for mom's
afternoon nap

DAILY PHOTO: Monkey See…

Taken at Nandi Hills in 2014

Grazing Bull [Haiku]

a grazing bull
sees its pond reflection,
but resumes forthwith

DAILY PHOTO: Bull Oversees the Line at Soylent Green Production Facility

Taken on July 24, 2021 in Sigandur, KA, India

DAILY PHOTO: Black Spectacled Toad, Cambodia

Taken on Phnom Bakheng in October of 2012