THE DRAGONFLY

The dragonfly

can't quite land

on that blade of grass.

tombō ya 

tori tsuki kane shi 

kusa no ue

Haiku:  Matsuo Bashō 

Upper photo:  Curtis Moffat

Lower photo:  J. Jospe

The Horseflies: Rub Alcohol Blues (Link) 

I FILED THESE UNDER PERSONAL TODAY

PRAYING MANTIS!

My mother had promised too many things before, too many things that had fallen though, too many false hopes of her arrival from abroad, too many toys that had arrived broken, clockwork boats with their keys missing, castles lacking a drawbridge or a tower, visits to the zoo arranged but canceled --- and now, without a request or promise, she had brought me a praying mantis!

Ivan Moffat, "Absolute Heaven," in Gavin Lambert (ed.), "The Ivan Moffat File --Life Among the Beautiful and Damned in London, Paris, New York, and Hollywood," New York, Pantheon, 1904.