Winter Sunlight [Tanka]

Photograph of the Pest side of Budapest taken from Gellért Hill.
low winter sun
shines upon the city
while residents
walk shadow-dimmed streets
and fluffy clouds grow angry.

Crow Mind [Kyōka]

Photograph of a crow atop an outdoor lighting fixture at Tokyo's Imperial Palace.
crow on lamppost 
contemplates a CAW!
but is silenced
by a morsel clamped
in its beak.

Tree Hell [Tanka]

pine cone wedged
in a rotten sleeper,
on derelict tracks,
may become a tree
and made into sleepers.

Playful Thief [Kyōka]

Photograph taken in Lucknow, India in the garden of the Mushir Zadi tomb.
puppy guards 
a stolen garment
it hopes owner
will attempt to retrieve,
so that play can ensue.

Chinese Painting [Tanka]

Photograph taken at sundown in Vang Vieng, Laos.
sunlight washes out
the distant mountains;
they look like
an old Chinese painting --
ink faded with age.

Stalker [Kyōka]

Photograph of a raccoon taken in the Pearl River Wildlife Management Area near Slidell, Louisiana.
stealthy raccoon 
stalks up on trashcans -
as lion to gazelle.
having reached its target,
sends lid clattering down.

Guardian [Kyōka]

Photograph of a Guardian Lion (Fu Dog) at a temple on Elephant Mountain near Taipei, Taiwan.
some swear guardians
come to life -- dancing through
the temple yard...
but only Autumn nights, and
after a calabash of wine.

Red Maple [Tanka]

early Spring seed pods
of Red Maple hold tight
- patiently —
til one day in late Spring:
they’ll drop, spin, and fly.

Foot-tapping Seagull [Kyōka]

Photograph of a Seagull near the fish market in Helsinki, Finland.
a Seagull stands 
at a respectful distance
from a fish stall,
waiting for the fishmonger
to do the right thing.

Baby Monkey Wisdom [Kyōka]

Photograph of a baby Macaque taken at Gudibande Fort in the Chikkaballapur District of Karnataka, India.
the fixed boulder
makes great shelter;
rolling boulders
make monkey paste:
how do baby monkeys know?