Cloud on Fire [Haiku]

the setting sun
makes a fireball of a low 
bank of clouds

Flame Dance [Haiku]

saffron-tinged leaves
languidly wobble to mimic
the dance of flame

Flameless Flame [Free Verse]

walking through a darkened temple,
a jagged hole perfectly aligns;
 the kinked white-light washing inward
becomes a shimmering flame,
topping a stone pillar, 
becoming a faux candle
in my shimmering mind

Smoke & Fire [Common Meter]

The spastic flame that dances fast:
too weird to match to drum.
The teary eye strays into trance
as if deadened by rum.

Where will the flame transport us now
that smoke has made us cry?
Where will the cracking sounds take us
as we turn to the sky?

The moon is out and casts a glow,
a glow of milky white.
And each dim point of starlight burns
trillions of times as bright
as that feeble, little campfire 
that rules what I now feel:
the heat, the smoke, the popping sounds
that now make my head reel.

It Burns [Haiku]

a cottage burns;
its owner watches ash swirl
in the air

Note: Influenced by an exchange between Bashō and his student Hokushi, the latter’s cabin burning down being the topic of discussion. As told in Yoné Noguchi’s The Spirit of Japanese Poetry.

Rising Fire [Haiku]

the fire climbs,
changes shape, and fades
until black remains

DAILY PHOTO: Firewalker

Taken in May of 2015 in Kandy

Taken in May of 2015 in Kandy

DAILY PHOTO: Ganga Aarti

Taken October 23, 2015 at Varanasi

Taken October 23, 2015 at Varanasi

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DAILY PHOTO: Fire Handler

Taken in May of 2015 in Kandy

Taken in May of 2015 in Kandy

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