Locus [Common Meter]

One clump of flowers has the power
To lure the eye’s focus.
The background blurs as mind infers
Which hue shall be the locus.

DAILY PHOTO: Lake, Low & Blue

Image

Photograph taken of Lake Hartwell in Georgia, under deep blue skies.

Naked Wisdom [Haiku]

Photograph of a barren tree taken on the Butch Kennedy Trail, near Lake Hartwell, in South Carolina.
one bare tree
knew not to bud or bloom
before the last freeze.

Skulking Deer [Senryū]

Photograph of a deer taken from Alpharetta's Big Creek Greenway Trail.
step: "Crunch - Crack!" --
skulking deer startles itself,
looks out: who noticed?

Cold Creek [Haiku]

Photograph taken near the start of the Mae Yen Waterfall trek at Pai, Thailand.
butterflies dance
beside a cold creek,
near sun-warmed leaves.

Gust [Haiku]

Photograph taken at Pai Canyon near Pai, Thailand.
Autumn gust
sends leaf fluttering --
cat paws at it.

Peach Blossoms [Lyric Poem]

Photograph of Peach Blossoms taken in early March in Atlanta's Piedmont Park.
I see the Peach Blossoms of Spring,
And think of old Li Bai’s answer.

In wordless replies, the world sings;
In unpeopled worlds, there’s a dancer.

The referenced poem by Li Bai [李白] is entitled Question and Answer in the Mountains [山中问答] and is crudely translated as:

I'm asked why I live in mountains.
I laugh while giving no reply.

Peach Blossoms flow from sight & mind;
Beyond men, another Earth & Sky.

Or, in Chinese:

问余何意栖碧山,
笑而不答心自闲。

桃花流水窅然去,
别有天地非人间。

Great Wide Darkness [Haiku]

Photograph of the north bay of Koh Phi Phi, Thailand. Taken from Viewpoint 3.
Sun is low;
boat leaves the bay's shelter,
creeping toward darkness.

Beach Sweep [Haiku]

lapping waves
deposit lines of debris,
but not so tidily.

DAILY PHOTO: Sculpture of Lin Tianzhen at Yehliu Geopark

Photograph of Lin Tianzhen, a man who lost his life trying to rescue a drowning person. Taken at Yehliu Geopark.
Closeup photograph of Lin Tianzhen, a man who lost his life trying to rescue a drowning person. Taken at Yehliu Geopark.