Mountain Time [Tanka]

an ancient mountain,
weathered to rubble,
stands background
to a city that's lived
but a blip of mountain time.

Cormorant Patience [Kyōka]

the cormorant,
glistening & dripping,
must air dry
before it’s a bird again;
humans cramp in the pool.

Holdout [Tanka]

a tree’s last blossom
seems to wait til no one
is looking to drop.
what a thing it must be
to see a holdout yield.

Hide Your Light [Kyōka]

the rising sun
hides behind winter trees
as a fat kid
hides behinds a fence post,
fooling no one.

World Writ Minimalist [Kyōka]

sunrise paints the haze
the color of campfire flames,
and nothing looks real,
but rather like a painting
by an artist, skilled & lazy.

Multitasking Youth [Kyōka]

a brave youth
plummets into the stepwell,
 all the while
looking like she's on a stroll,
blowing her nose and waving.

Vanishing Tracks [Tanka]

incense tracks
meander skyward --
 erratically;
as they rise, they diffuse
to become nothingness.

Bougainvillea Greetings [Tanka]

bougainvilleas
beside the grand temple steps
 have dropped petals,
but it seems the gardners
never let them hit the ground.

Urban Jungle [Kyōka]

in a city park,
muscular baobabs &
wiry strangler figs
provide residences
for the fierce squirrels.

Cat Dandy [Kyōka]

cat on a porch rail
preens between naps
 to look good
for the twenty waking
 minutes of its day.