so much blood
soaked into this soil once
now daffodils
stone statue
goddess of compassion
looks through me
the bonsai
grotesque beauty
your secret?
Hachikou,
patience and passion —
a rare duo
wooden gate
too grand for such as me
where go I?
a thousand suns
shine upon my face,
one on my back
golden field
exalts the summer
while it lasts
lone flower
with stem to sun’s rays,
miffed or broken?
flower heads
twisting in unison
rapt attention
speeding by
the sunflowers blur
yet still flame
fog ahead
deafening white noise
hidden falls
staring up
at falls sans water
drought dreams
high falls
water stretches and drifts
violent spatter
waterfalls,
creeping backwards
over eons
suicide, or
the best story ever?
luck of the rocks
the snow falls
silent and slantwise
“KNOCK-KNOCK” ear check
darkness drifted in
between last look and now
wifely cover theft
monsoon rains
awesome from the inside
awful to be in
in India,
seeing no one outside?
Rapture feared
out my window
fiery orange blossoms
are in season
shaggy yak
in Himalaya high
gallops carefree
desert skies
painted impossible hues
scrub and sand
moth wing eyes
so very convincing
owl or “seeing tree”
calm seas
don’t draw sailors
storms do
monkey moments
that mirrored pond,
reflecting us
Heliconia Rostrata
lobster-claw plant
flaming in red and yellow
headless bird stack
coconuts
dimple sands with a thud
tin roof heart attack
seeking relief
from the humidity,
entered greenhouse
little lizard
crawling under the door
take bug duty!
i recall short days
just as i recall cold days
nostalgia trumps truth
don’t debate dolts
they’ll remain half-wits
after you’re spent
flex in wind
and rebound in calm
all in time
glide to dive
the hawk’s fearsome show?
gravity’s work
wise farmers
wait to do watering
eyes to clouds
mute traders
get extra carrots
for silence
painted skies
make mountains puny
by contrast
in thin air
poor sleep paid in
grand skies
Pangong Tso
seen as by the prisoner
from Plato’s cave
a flower
became the pivot
of my mind
thoughts form,
float ephemerally,
then burst
quiet came
my mind wordless
as pictures gel
feel emotion,
but don’t ever feed
that old goat
perfectionist?
the perfect can’t be loved,
only vied for
liquid metal
shape-shifting silver seas
ribbed and rippling
tiny crabs
writing alien script
high tides erase
turquoise water
bound by brown patches
a tidal maze
tiny limpid fish
braver than your bigger peers
drifting as they dart
tsunami swamped
moments under water
forever changed
Tiger Riding for Beginners 