Discovery Distance [Free Verse]

Mountains are best viewed at a distance,
despite humanity's "closer is better" bias.

Up close, one is invariably in a cloud,
looking at an undifferentiated mass
of gray-white:
ice -- granite -- snow -- fog.

One may climb a mountain 
to see other mountains in the distance,
but standing eye-to-rock with a mountain
offers little spectacle & grandeur.

Massive things can be too close to see.

I wonder whether I'm also
 better viewed from a distance.

Not everything is.

Consider the opposite mistake:
People say things such as, 
"My Great White Whale is out there."

But Great White Whales are  
always found looking inward --
not out in the distance.

Blanket of Clouds [Haiku]

mountain clouds
move with spontaneity --
like blanket fort kids

DAILY PHOTO: Mount Pandim

Taken in May of 2022 in Sikkim on the Goechala Trail

DAILY PHOTO: Dzongri Overlook Trail

Taken in May of 2022 near Camp Dzongri on the Goechala Trail

Andean Limerick

There was a gambler from the Andes
who was fond of upping the antes,
but he got in deep debt
and started to bet:
"beachfront property here in the Andes!"

Pale Orange [Haiku]

the tallest peak
catches the rising sun,
& glows pale orange

Shades of Green [Haiku]

myriad greens
texture the mountain,
when the sun is out

Sunrise Over the Mountain [Free Verse]

sunlight pours over the mountain,
cascading into the valley,
drawing all eyes into its blinding whiteness

too much light enters my eye
just as too much information, 
sometimes,
enters my mind

and, yet, i peer through the searing pain -
just for the view

DAILY PHOTO: Tsoka Gompa from Above

Taken in May of 2022 on the trail to Goechala

May Orchids [Tanka]

tiny white orchids
hug tree trunks & branches,
hiding out of sight --
except those at valley's edge,
 broadcasting their time is short