Red [Haiku]

the turning leaves
catch the morning sunlight
to show depths of red.

DAILY PHOTO: Red Shrine, Kaohsiung

“The River Runs Red” by Yue Fei [w/ Audio]

Enraged, I lean on the rail as rain ceases.
I look skyward, and sigh -- then roar.
My grand legacy has crumbled to dust:
A journey of thirty years and 8,000 li.

Young men, don't let regret come with gray hair!
The shame of Jingkang lingers -- a foul taste
We Generals must wash from our mouths.
Let's charge our chariots through Helan Pass
To feast on the flesh of our foes & drink their blood.
 Only then can we return home with honor.

In Chinese, the poem is entitled 滿江紅 (Man Jiang Hong,) “The Whole River, Red”:

怒髮衝冠,憑欄處,瀟瀟雨歇。
抬望眼,仰天長嘯,壯懷激烈。
三十功名塵與土,八千里路雲和月。
莫等閒白了少年頭,空悲切。
靖康恥,猶未雪;
臣子恨,何時滅?
駕長車踏破賀蘭山缺!
壯志飢餐胡虜肉,笑談渴飲匈奴血。
待從頭收拾舊山河,朝天闕。

“Rouged Lips” by Qin Guan [w/ Audio]

Drunk, me and my boat float freely downriver.
Unfortunately, I can't stay amid the flowers.
Hazy waters sprawl; sun, countless mountains high.
Red blossoms shower downward.
I don't know how I got here.

DAILY PHOTO: Shakadang Bridge

    Poppy Trigger [Lyric Poem]

    Two hikers on a mountain trail
    pass a solitary Poppy.
    One remembers a lost loved one;
    one, feeling high and floppy.

    Buds & Blossoms [Haiku]

    buds & blossoms,
    in vibrant red, gussy up
    a dreary cityscape.

    Spotless [Common Meter]

    The Ladybug of my childhood
     had polka-dots of black,
      adorning the split red shell
       that covered its wings and back.
    
    So, who erased this bug's black dots
     to make it less dice-like,
      making it a Lady in red?
       Said thief can take a hike.
    
    I had so many fine questions,
     but it just flew away.
      Maybe a bug somewhere out there
       has more spots coming its way.

    Big Red Bug [Haiku]

    the big red bug
     attracts attention 
      it doesn’t want.

    Red Blossoms [Haiku]

    red blossoms
    in the understory,
    briefly catch the sun.