Fire Fly
Rainstorms could do little
To dim your light,
And the winds
But make your lantern
All the brighter glow.
If you should wing your flight
Up near the moon,
I am sure you would twinkle
As a star.~Li Po [701–762]

Fire Fly
Rainstorms could do little
To dim your light,
And the winds
But make your lantern
All the brighter glow.
If you should wing your flight
Up near the moon,
I am sure you would twinkle
As a star.~Li Po [701–762]



early morning reflection submitted in response to Leanne’s monochrome madness challenge

“Are you ever mean to yourself, Big Panda?”
Big Panda watched the ripples spread across the lake.
“I see how gentle you are, Tiny Dragon,
and try to treat myself with the same kindness.”*

“cited: James Norbury, Big Panda and Tiny Dragon

A valley and above it forests in autumn colors.
A voyager arrives, a map leads him there.
Or perhaps memory. Once long ago in the sun,
When snow first fell, riding this way
He felt joy, strong, without reason,
Joy of the eyes. Everything was the rhythm
Of shifting trees, of a bird in flight,
Of a train on the viaduct, a feast in motion.
He returns years later, has no demands.
He wants only one, most precious thing:
To see, purely and simply, without name,
Without expectations, fears, or hopes,
At the edge where there is no I or not-I. ~Czeslaw Milosz*

*cited: Trans. Robert Haas. Poetry-Chaikhana.com Sacred Poetry from Around the World

sunset silhouette
leaf-less branches … in the sky
an ink-line painting


Oatmeal, walnuts, sugar
Mother Earth, sunshine, and rain
in my breakfast bowl

During a research project for a sociology class while an undergraduate at San Diego City College in 1982, I was stunned to learn that many enlisted Navy Families relied on Food Stamps to feed their families. I found myself questioning then and again now the justification for service personnel whose lives are on the line for all of us to be experiencing food insecurity.
I recently learned that Navy Federal Credit Union is partnering with Feeding America to get more meals to those in need in the military community. With a little help from augmented reality (AR), you can join them in their mission to help combat hunger for Veteran and military families
bound homeward under
clear summer skies:
bird feathers, flowers.~Keido*

monochrome blossoms … Cee’s fotd
*cited: Yoel Hoffmann, Japanese Death Poems
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