I
thundering falls
sing a mind into trance —
timeless sound
II
nearing the falls,
the grand spectacle becomes
a fog wall
III
yamabushi
sit under the cascade —
nails unhammered
IV
seeking earth’s center,
the river drops as far as
land allows
V
a round boulder
sits at the precipice,
refusing to roll
I
a breeze tousles branches
then, in stillness, red leaves
cascade downward
II
hawk and half-moon
in one blue, morning sky
then clouds come
III
pine tree tips
droop flaccidly over
the road
IV
the divine madman
sows havoc, showing neither
reason nor angst
V
too little water
kills the plant; too much water
kills the plant
clouds crawl in,
hiding whole mountains —
i await, “Ta-Da!”
sun comes out,
flash-boiling droplets —
steam breathing
life abounds, it’s
max. occupancy living;
yet, none are seen
plants grow from stone
wall becomes a hedgerow…
but shaggier
elephant ear
leaf is played by the rain
like a mad drummer
I
rocks tumble
as crashing waves erode
the cliff wall
II
at land’s end,
surf punishes the earth —
rocks forgive
III
looking out
to the endless sky
all ‘s unbounded
IV
a bird perched
upon a cliff doesn’t
mull mortality
I
clouds enshroud
mountainous monoliths
faking world’s end
II
gnarled tree
growing from a crack
in worn rock
III
waiting to fall
precarious rock column
stands in rock time
IV
the clouds rise
revealing split rock —
peek-a-boo
V
god’s bonsai
a faint tracing seen
through cloud webs
I
in corn country,
the scent of rain often
outpaced the clouds
II
a slanting rain,
sounding machine-like
pounds the ground
III
with these mean rains,
my invite to outdoors
has been revoked
IV
mossy mountain,
its flipside is dry grass –
yin to its yang
V
hanging droplets
on the fringe of fungus
drip in due time
I
waves bash stone —
volcanic rock walls pocked
a grain at a time
II
crashing sounds —
perfectly formed waves to
sizzling foam
III
beach sweeping
waves push and pull sand
step tales erased
IV
gray skies
the typhoon unseen
but expected
V
wave doubles back
upon hitting the stony shore:
return to sender
I
hold travel plans
like a stinky diaper —
not like a crowbar
II
the mountaintop
is always farther
than it looks
III
sorry Mr. Frost,
the less traveled road
is a deadend
IV
eat local food
cheeseburger in Shangri-la…
never sicker
Under cottony clouds, my gaze fell upon the borehole by which slanted shafts of light found the ground. A divine spotlight that shone only on the liquid metal surface of a smooth flowing river at a point just before the rapids were reached. A closed-eyed kayaker might feel graced by the warm sunshine on his face. But only for the moment before being cast into a dim and turbulent transition from heaven to hell.
divine spotlight
a beam of sunlight burns
through gray clouds
tall grass walking —
waves of grasshoppers
take the lead
one droplet
clings to the drooping point
of a leaf’s tip
red fire ball,
rising over broken
boulder lands
egret & ox,
patrolling the fields – a
baffling pair
when scale fades —
granite dome – forest-fringed,
becomes rock in grass
Tiger Riding for Beginners 