Cliff’s Edge Poppy [Haiku]

at cliff's edge,
the swaying red poppy,
lures one closer.

DAILY PHOTO: South Armenian Landscapes

“Spring Rise” by Fan Chengda [w/ Audio]

In Spring, the waters rise --
Shore grass sways with breezes,
And geese drift right beside;
Boats glide as the stream pleases.
Yon pagoda looks far,
but feels quite close.

Streamside, one feels a chill.
Fields have yet to be plowed --
Not while the torrents spill.
Mulberry limbs are bowed.
Soon we'll have a taste,
and harvest cocoons.

NOTE: The title of this poem is 蝶 戀 花. Xu Yuanchong uses the quite literal “Butterflies in Love with Flowers” as his translated title. I chose differently because a wet Spring is the throughline of the poem and, well, there are no explicit butterflies (or flowers) in the poem [only their potential.] Of course, maybe that’s exactly why the original is a great title.

Spring Snow [Haiku]

"snow? in mid-Spring!"
its stay is short, but is felt
in the porter's bones.

Cold Stream [Haiku]

Spring flows:
frigid and silt gray --
rush down the mountain.

Rough Edges [Haiku]

in springtime,
wildflowers soften
a stony landscape.

Rainy Rice Field [Haiku]

rain patters
in the rice paddy;
a frog croaks.

Grass & Rock [Haiku]

a shoot sprouts
in a shallow divot,
on the rocky cliff.

Stony Landscape [Haiku]

in the Springtime,
wildflowers grow around
stones and boulders.

Snowy Mountains [Haiku]

across the lake,
the snowy mountains stand
in denial of Spring.