Winding Tree [Haiku]

winding like vines,
tree branches grow like a cage
over my head.

Sundown Underworld [Haiku]

sun hits horizon; 
summer ticks a day off,
car speeds into darkness.

Millipede [Lyric Poem]

I saw, crawling out of the weeds,
One quickstepping millipede.
But, going daft, it's bow and stern
Started to clash, and - as each turned -
It tied itself in a knot.

“Spring Dawn” (春曉) by Meng Haoran [w/ Audio]

My Spring sleep is unswayed by dawn --
Though birds are heard through screen, still drawn.
Recalling night sounds of rain and wind,
I wonder how the flowers have thinned?

Original in Chinese:

春眠不覺曉,
處處聞啼鳥。
夜來風雨聲,
花落知多少。

Wasp [Lyric Poem]

I look straight upward and I see
A wasp nest hanging over me:
By a mere twig it's dangling,
And this, my nerves, is jangling.

Hyena [Lyric Poem]

The Hyena is renowned for its cackle--
Not so of bats, birds, snakes, whales or jackals.
So, why such an intense sense of humor?
Perhaps, it's just a human-lampooner.

African Tulip [Haiku]

dense bloom clusters
of one week are a carpet
on the ground the next.

Baboon [Lyric Poem]

I would never wish to impugn
That noble creature, the baboon.
Some say mean things about their fangs,
But about their gnarly butts-- DAAANG!

Late to the Hunt [Senryū]

tardy deer hunter
finds a deer grazing beside
his hunter's stand.

Bear [Lyric Poem]

Walking down a trail, I had quite a scare --
For walking straight towards me was a big ole bear.
It glanced at me, and then down at its feet,
Then that speciesist bear had the nerve to cross the street.