I miss my mother. And I wanted to distract a friend from someone’s ignorant and hurtful remark. I looked for poems for her. And then they made me feel lighter too. By Basho?

Butterfly perfumes
Her wings by floating
Over the orchid

Cold first winter rain
Poor monkey, you too could use
A little woven cape

This snowy morning
That black crow I hate so much
But she is beautiful

On a withered branch
A crow has alighted:
Nightfall in autumn

Clouds come from time to time –
and bring to men a chance to rest
from looking at the moon

Why so scrawny, cat?
starving for fat fish or mice . . .
Or backyard love?

Carven gods long gone . . .
dead leaves alone
foregather

Such utter silence!
even the crickets’ singing . . .
Muffled by hot rocks