One Way to Look at It

Painting by Karen Mathison Schmidt
From karenmathisonschmidtgallery.blogspot.com

the heart of a poet
bleeds incongruous ink
beats avant-garde tempo
distinctly unique lingual
grammar and syntax
a personal canon
expressive of character
warmed by the ardor
inflaming its host
here is center
this prodigy organ
possessed of first principles
liquescent art
pumped through finger veins
arteries carrying words
in a fluid suspension
to body parts
known to communicate
swelled by a beautiful plasma
tumescent and ripe
for the spilling
the writing
the telling
the touching
of other hearts
poorly sustained by
prosaic derivative authorship
ready receptive
and needing of nourish
a vital esthetic enrichment
by riveting verse

Western Haiku

“Basho Riding a Horse”
Ink Drawing by Sugiyama Sanpu
From basho-imagery.blogspot.com

laconic verses
spoken in Japanese voice
for English ears