Even in the
pristine palace garden,
gardeners refuse
to chase one stray, wind-blown leaf
that tumblers over pavers.
Pristine Garden [Kyōka]
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Tag Archives: Kyōka
Chill Induced Memory [Tanka]
the memory
of an outdoor cafe
at city center
comes to me out of the blue,
on a frigid Winter day.
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Calabash Time [Kyōka]
bowl in the right
calabash in the left:
drunkard empties
& then fills his cup --
amid missing time.
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Dragonhead [Tanka]
dragonhead
rises up out of a cloud,
over the city.
how many see the cloud,
but not the dragon?
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Family Resemblance [Kyōka]
Chinese temple pond:
dragonhead tortoise sculpture.
live turtles swim
and sun in those waters.
do they see the likeness?
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Lanterns [Kyōka]
rows of lanterns —
a jack-o-lantern patch —
lights the temple
on a dark, rainy night;
rain splats on a tin roof.
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Pillbox Bunker [Tanka]
pillbox bunker from
a war a lifetime ago
sits in a field.
what the farmer must think
as he plants around it.
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Worldly Concerns [Kyōka]
Buddha's lap,
a pigeon lands:
a monk shoos
the bird away,
but Buddha didn't mind.
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Sleeping Bear [Kyōka]
the sleeping bear
seems at peace, and still does
when its eyes open,
but my mental state - and
my drawers - are quite changed.
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Gray Baby [Kyōka]
an autumn sapling,
red leaves on a stiff twig,
shakes in the breeze;
i can't help but think of it
as a gray-haired baby.
Tiger Riding for Beginners 