thunder yon
Zambezi rafting
greenhorns beware
cataract
water wind-misted
plume-zone green
terraced hill
rice paddy cascades
depth perfection
dry season
murmur to trickle to
fall-less falls
level rising
the overspill rolls
pulling drops
offset prints
bisected by tail drag
lizard sign
gnarled driftwood,
snake skin, rusty barbed wire
in red sand
cold morning,
the rising fire ball,
a silent knell
red sandstone
warmed by the rising sun
gorge aglow
yon mirage
mirror-clear blue,
chase the lie
mossy trees
in a foggy forest
eery squared
split oak tree
hollowed by water
chimnified
a lone tree
sits atop a green hill,
solemnly
distant trees
resemble a painting
not a true grove
Taken in May of 2015 at Ramanagara
grazing sheep,
loitering head down;
what awes them?
rice terraces,
disguising man’s order
in nature’s green
ripe wheat,
bobbing in a breeze —
sea-like moves
on a range
that stretches beyond sight
but not mind
tea plantation,
a snake slithers through
amid the pickers
icy river
all the world stands still, or
pretends to
snow deadens
sounds and signs of life
a blank slate
the breeze dies
then the snow fall ceases
time freezing
deep footprints
tell of a man and a dog
hunting rabbit
an old church
the surrounding snow
is unmarred
… a butterfly lands on your hand while you’re operating a scooter.
Taken in Bangalore in the spring of 2019.
one-winged seed
drops, twirling to earth,
in slant descent
twisted petals
painted by textured brush
fall as one
porch-sitter views
a corn crib and red barn;
all slouch with age
trust all lambs
trust tigers to be tigers
trust man, not
if a sight
can quicken your pulse
it’s love… or death
Things better seen at a distance:
-snowcapped peaks
-fluffy clouds
-asteroids
-surgery
-any animal whose mouth my head fits inside
Tiger Riding for Beginners 