First snow! I see it young every winter,
Yet my face grows old
As Winter comes. ~ The Diary of Izumi Shikibu*

*cited: Trans: Annie Shepley Omori & Kochi Doi Diaries of Court Ladies of Old Japan
First snow! I see it young every winter,
Yet my face grows old
As Winter comes. ~ The Diary of Izumi Shikibu*

*cited: Trans: Annie Shepley Omori & Kochi Doi Diaries of Court Ladies of Old Japan

“… Roads take you somewhere you have not yet been or they bring you back to where you were. Some roads lead to the future, some to the past. Then he thought, That is not right. All roads do both. …” Susan Fromberg Schaefer, The Snow Fox . Pg. 182
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


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