Mary Kendall

the blue moon
silently closes the door
upon the year

Mortimer Adler

The person who says he knows what he thinks but cannot express it usually does not know what he thinks.

Conflicted in thought

"Should I stay?" or "Should I go?"

Both choices will hurt.

Lianna Wright

solstice turns the day
despite the cold and frost
each night is shorter

White dots in summer;

when winter comes they vanish

belly deep in snow

the headlights, make way,

the prima ballerina 

in snowy darkness

Osho

Sadness gives depth. Happiness gives height. Sadness gives roots. Happiness gives branches. Happiness is like a tree going into the sky, and sadness is like the roots going down into the womb of the earth. Both are needed, and the higher a tree goes, the deeper it goes, simultaneously. The bigger the tree, the bigger will be its roots. In fact, it is always in proportion. That’s its balance.

Vaillancourt Folk Art

Warm Christmas mulled wine 

Sipped on a cold winter’s night 

Makes everything right

To someone's delight

We all hear the roof clacking

My parents were scared

Matsuo Basho

Ballet in the air! -- 

two butterflies, twice white,

meet, mate, unite.

Mastin Ki

Unless you’re in mortal danger, fear is a compass showing you where to go.

Choshu

The moon
Broken again and again on the sea
So easily mends.

Matsuo Basho

See: whose surviving sons

visit the ancestral graves

white-bearded, with trembling cranes?

Ishida Hakyo

樹間染め

Coloring between the trees,

隣病舎の

The next ward’s

聖樹の灯

The light of the holy tree.

Matsuo Basho

Pausing between clouds

the moon rests

in the eyes of its beholders

Matsuo Basho

Like a heavy fragrance

snow-flakes settle:

lilies on rocks

Kobayashi Issa

Insolent peony!

Demanding I measure your span

with my fan?

Michael R. Burch

Mariner, do not ask whose tomb this may be,

but go with good fortune: I wish you a kinder sea.

Matsuo Basho

Fire under the ash

and written on the wall

the shadow of a friend

Ralph Waldo Emerson

What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.

Matsuo Basho

The butterfly

perfuming its wings

fans the orchid

Kobayashi Issa

Standing beneath cherry blossoms

who can be strangers?

Ralph Waldo Emerson

The only way to have a friend is to be one.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

It is not the length of life, but the depth.

how grateful I am

being on the other side

watching snow fall down

Hisajo Sugita

This day of chrysanthemums

I shake and comb my hair,

as their petals shed rain

Matsuo Basho

Come, investigate lonliness!

a solitary leaf

clings to the Kiri tree

Ralph Waldo Emerson

The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.

Inahata Teiko

Falling snowflakes'

glitter

tinsels the sea

Matsuo Basho

High-altitude rose petals

falling

falling

falling:

the melody of a waterfall.

Matsuo Basho

Morning glories blossom,

reinforcing the old fence gate.

Takaha Shugyo

Our life here on earth:

to what shall we compare it?

It is not like a rowboat

departing at daybreak,

leaving no trace of us in its wake?

Ralph Waldo Emerson

What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.

Masaoka Shiki

After the fireworks,

the spectators departed:

how vast and dark the sky!

Matsuo Basho

Autumn darkness
              descends
on this road I travel      alone

Iris

[A] flower or person

Wondering when time will tell

My true love to you

Matsuo Basho

Fire levitating ashes:

my companion's shadow

animates the wall...

Kobayashi Issa

Peonies blossom;

the world is full of blooming liars.

Michael Windsor McClintock

when you opened

my letter

were you surprised

my heart

fell out?

next door 

the lovemaking

subsides

stars fall

from other worlds

an old photo 

of my parent

young and happy -- 

of all things I own

that is the saddest

Ralph Waldo Emerson

When it's dark enough, you can see the stars.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

What you do speaks so loudly that I cannot hear what you say.

Uejima Onitsura

Useless dreams, alas!

Over desolate fields

winds whisper as they pass.

Sappho

Eros harrows my heart:

a wind on desolate mountains

uprooting oaks.

Even on carpet

You walk step-by-step breathing

towards Shambala

Masaoka Shiki

As thunder recedes

a lone tree stands illuminated in sunlight:

applauded by cicadas

Daniell Koepke

Not all toxic people are cruel and uncaring. Some fo them love us dearly. Many of them have good intentions. Most are toxic to our being simply because their needs and way of existing in the world force us to compromise ourselves and our happiness. They aren't inherently bad people, but they aren't the right people for us. And as hard as it is, we have to let them go. Life is hard enough without being around people who bring you down, and as much as you care, you can't destroy yourself for the sake of someone else. You have to make your well being a priority. Whether that means breaking up with someone you care about, loving a family member from a distance, letting go of a friend, or removing yourself from a situation that feels painful.

Takeshita Shizunojo

It fills me with anger,

this moon; it fills me

and makes me whole

Dalai Lama

He said, 

"There are two days in the year that nothing can be done.

One is called yesterday and the other is called tomorrow, 

so today is the right day to love, believe, do

and mostly live."

Kakio Tomizawa

Oh, dreamlike winter butterfly:

a puff of white snow

cresting mountains.

The badly chipped bowl

is fragile as it's put back

gold veins encrusted

Michael R. Burch

I am a traveler

going nowhere-- 

but my how the gawking bystanders stare!

Hisajo Sugita

I remove my beautiful kimono:

its varied braids

surround and entwine my body

One becomes the sun

Shines light into a man's heart

Invaluable

The joy in seeing

rain is different now than the

showers in April

Masaoka Shiki

We cannot see the moon

and yet the waves still rise

Arakida Moritake

An orphaned blossom

returning to its bough, somehow?

No, a solitary butterfly.

Matsuo Basho

Whistle on, twilight whippoorwill,

solemn evangelist

of loneliness

Steven Pressfield

I'm keenly aware of the Principle or Priority, which states (a) you must know the difference between what is urgent and what is important, and (b) you must do what's important first. What's important is the work.

Cool mid-summer wind

Fans the willow branches for

the fuzzy orange moon

Matsuo Basho

The moon: glorious its illumination!

Therefore, we give thanks.

Dark clouds cast their shadows on our necks.

Inahata Teiko

Silently observing

the bottomless mountain lake:

water lilies

Yamazaki Sōkan

O, fluttering moon,

if only we

could hang a handle on you,

what a fan you would be!

Kikusha-ni

Spring

stirs the clouds

in the sky's teabowl

Luke Cage

It's as if there are two wolves living inside you.

One wolf is good. He only fights when it is right to do so.

The other wolf is hateful. He fights no matter the reason.

It's as if these two wolves are both fighting to dominate you spirit. 

And the boy asks his grandfather, "Which wolf is stronger?"

And the grandfather looked into his grandson's eyes, and he said,  "It's the one you feed."

The sound of angels

Fingers touching the glass rims

Fills the empty room

Kajiwara Hashin

No sky,

no land: 

just snow eternally falling...

Yamazaki Sōkan

Soundlessly they go, 

the herons passing by:

arrows of snow

filling the sky.

stalking in the dark

threatens my quality sleep

shadow-ish nugget

Matsuo Basho

A spring wind

stirs willow leaves

as a butterfly hovers unsteadily.

Michael R. Burch

Honeysuckle

blesses my knuckle

with affectionate dew

Masaoka Shiki

Summer river:

ignoring the bridge,

my horse charges through the water.

Inahata Teiko

Blizzards here on earth,

blizzards of stars

in the sky

Nishiyama Soin

Life: a solitary butterfly

swaying unsteadily on a slender stalk of grass,

nothing more. But so exquisite!

morning was disturb

by a cat swatting a fly

only it's my face

Theodore Roosevelt

It is not the critic who counts

not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles,

or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. 

The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena

What am I doing?

The same as I was doing,

like a year ago.

Ō no Yasumaro

Onyx, this gem-black night.

Downcast, I await your return

like the morning sun, unrivaled in splendor.

Kusama Tokihiko

Pale mountain sky:

cherry petals play

as they tumble earthward

Stephen Hawking

“The message of this lecture is that black holes ain’t as black as they are painted. They are not the eternal prisons they were once thought.”

“Things can get out of a black hole both on the outside and possibly to another universe. So if you feel you are in a black hole, don’t give up – there’s a way out…”

“Remember to look up at the stars and not down at your feet. Try to make sense of what you see and wonder about what makes the universe exist. Be curious. And however difficult life may seem, there is always something you can do and succeed at.

It matters that you don’t just give up.”

Sappho

Sing, my sacred tortoiseshell lyre;

come, let my words

accompany your voice

Hokushi

I write, erase, rewrite,

Erase again, and then

A poppy blooms

With closed wilted eyes

I feel the wind against my skin

on this summer night

Masaoka Shiki

The first morning of autumn:

the mirror I investigate

reflects my father's face

Happy Father's Day

Ippekiro Nakatsuka

May I be with my mother

wearing her summer kimono

by the morning window

Matsuo Basho

Among the graffiti

one illuminated name:

Yours.

starry night

Stars strobing on

the evening aurora

van Gogh would envy

Hashimoto Takako

The frozen moon,

the frozen lake:

two oval mirrors reflecting each other.

Michael R. Burch

Night,

the ice and the darkness

conspire against human warmth

Katoh Shuhson

Tonight I saw

how the peony crumples

in the fire's embers

Matsuo Basho

Autumn darkness

               descends

on this road I travel      alone

We salute to you

Bravest Ahoy Mariner

Continue to Sail

each day we grow up

more of a scowl we look at

our facial winkles

bubbles float up high

even Icarus envies

how they keep afloat

A cloud rolls into

the scenery, crescendo

thunderstorm

One and only queen

In everyone's eyes she stands

a lowly servant

Who would ever see

a flower's petals behave

like walls before bloom?

There is none like you

To see it slowly setting

Each day to the west

On Bakemonogatari

Shinobu is bae
But how can we forget that
Beautiful head tilt

-The Anime Man video

In a windy night
I stare at the bird outside
As it look right back

Ian Fleming's Novel "You Only Live Twice"

You only live twice
Once when you're born
And once when you look death in the face.

水草の花まだ白し秋の風 - Masaoka Shiki

water plant blossoms

still white

autumn wind

Limbs and ends bone cold

But still stubbornly wearing

A pretty sweater

Ikigai

Moment of fresh air

Letting out a sigh and stretch

Welcoming the day

Sitting on a chair

Resembling one of you

A small gargoyle

Gustav Klint's Blanket

I want your gold sheets

to drape and encase me so

softly and soundly.

On communication...

"Stella said: Words aren't for understanding each other. They exist for the sake of talking to each other. If we butt heads, if we can't stand each other, we'll talk it over together. So that we'll find a sweet spot."

--Chise

The blanket of snow

muffle and amplify all

surrounding soundscape

Leonardo da Vinci

Study the science of art. Study the art of science. Develop your senses—especially learn how to see. Realize that everything connects to everything else.

I present to you

A gift no others can have

In hopes you cherish [it]

A sprinter's figure

 Runs against the cold winds, and

Always running on

Even in the cold

Wind cannot beat the sunlight's

touch onto the skin

All kinds of people

Coffee, Tea, Laptop, Books, Phones,

All leave the same door

fun it is to play

tapping on my lip and chin

doesn't feel like mine

Enough to be fog

Transparent curtains drape [there]

Rain showers outside

I close my eyes

to my surprise

they were heavy

For a short second

The phone woke up before me

Just one more minute

God's Masterpiece - Wolflander

nature's holy prism
birth of perfect symmetry
creation sublime

2-8-5

plip plop

pitter patter waxing waning

squeaking purring house

Looking from above

The Layers unfurling,

The tulips *wake up*.

Oh you wisdom teeth,

Happily peeping from gums,

You will come out -very- soon.

枯野路に 影かさなりて わかれけり - Hisajo Sugita

On the path in the desolate field,

The shadows overlapped and

Parted.

Earl R. Keener

equinox

the robin bows

to the worm

Hisajo Sugita

A folded fan of autumn is inserted
In the obi hard like a board.

Those knocks on the door

Is not an opportunity

An act of terror

冬蜂の 死にどころなく 歩きけり - Murakami Kijo

The winter bee

Couldn’t find the place to die,

And it walks.

正月や 村の小すみの 梅の花 - Issa Kobayashi

It’s New Years.

At the corner of the village,

Ume blossoms.

Shigenobu Takayanagi

Growing old
and lunatic
in a swamp
a serpent
blossoms with a red flower.

Gozan

The snow of yesterday
That fell like cherry blossoms
Is water once again

Imitations by David Lloyd

                                             Shiki:

                                                  The Great Buddha

                                                  doesn't blink at all

                                                  'midst the hailstones.

                                            Imitation:
                                                  The Buddha

                                                  at Kamakura

                                                  holding snow...

                                            Shiki:

                                                  No sky is seen,

                                                  no earth is seen, and still

                                                  the snowflakes fall.

                                             Imitation:

                                                  The earth all gone,

                                                  the sky all gone, and still

                                                  the snow comes down.
          

                                             Shiki:

                                                  An autumn wind:

                                                  and for me, no gods--

                                                  not even Buddha...

                                            Imitation:

                                                  A winter sky

                                                  not made brighter 

                                                  by tinsel trees...

                                            Shiki: 

                                                  Moonbeams

                                                  light falling plum petals

                                                  on top of the lute.

                                             Imitation:

                                                  Quiet moonlight

                                                  broken by the sound of sleet

                                                  on my guitar.

                                                               - Modern Haiku Volume 2.3. Summer 1971, 17.

Natsume Soseki

Watch birth and death:
The lotus has already
Opened its flower.

Natsume Soseki

The lamp once out

Cool stars enter
The window frame.

Natsume Soseki

On New Year's Day
I long to meet my parents
as they were before my birth.

Nick Virgilio

Lily:
out of the water
out of itself

my humor

my poems are all

but whimsical in nature...

my humor is rock

5-10-7

All is but a dream

To pick a flower without it dying

Do I need to pity you?

Morning rain pitter-

patters on ripe lily pads

Woke up to morning asphalt

Crossed legs and small feet,
Like a dog's wagging tail,
Patience is virtue

Sticky, wet, plip plop, 

Comes with grey, drizzle, showers,

I rather stay dry

Car horns and cheering,

A time of celebration,

Let's go Superbowl

Too much monkey mind

Helps no on inside or out

A catastrophe

E. E. Cummings

I care not greatly

Should the world remember me

In some tomorrow.

There is a journey,

And who is for the long road

Loves not to linger.

For him the night calls,

Out of the dawn and sunset

Who has made poems.

"Hokku"

Harvard Monthly. Cambridge, April 1916.

Put on eye shadow

Then some marasca and blush

Sometimes words scramble

5-7-7

Where lambs roam in grass,
Tall blades ripple as horse hair
Whip like colors of the wind

Adept as she is,

Bending the impossible

Bamboos would envy

Willian E. Woodruff

a fried egg, left

in the microwave too long

now a fried chicken

Shiki Masaoka

面白や

かさなりあふて

雪の傘

It's interesting.

Lied one upon another

The umbrellas in the snow.

Dawn of the new year

Supermoon flaunting its size

Why don't we gaze at?

Happy birthday me

My time, happy, fine, or bad

I don't have to share

A year renewed-- grand

resolutions told are what

we can just aim for.