Guardian [Kyōka]

Photograph of a Guardian Lion (Fu Dog) at a temple on Elephant Mountain near Taipei, Taiwan.
some swear guardians
come to life -- dancing through
the temple yard...
but only Autumn nights, and
after a calabash of wine.

Foo Dog [Haiku]

guardian dogs,
sculpted or painted: how do
they fool the spirits?

Stone Guardians [Common Meter]

A stone dog guards the temple gate
with dead, but bulging, eyes.
And gargoyles mount a stern defense
from the cathedral spires.

But what's a mounted mask to do
to keep evil at bay?
And what's the flash of fu dog teeth
to end a vicious fray?

And what would lead me to assume
that evil lies outside,
when your greeter is pure ugliness
with wild and crazy eyes?

DAILY PHOTO: Foo Dog Closeup [in Profile]

Taken in Hanoi in December of 2015