Crow on a bare branch

Kare eda ni
Karasu no tomari keri,
Aki no kure.

A branch shorn of leaves,
A crow perching on it--
This autumnal eve.

~haiku by Basho from Zen and Japanese Culture, D.T. Suzuki

Wondering

"When you wake up in the morning, Pooh," said Piglet at last,

"what's the first thing you say to yourself?"

"What's for breakfast?" said Pooh. "What do you say, Piglet?"

"I say, I wonder what's going to happen exciting today?" said Piglet.

Pooh nodded thoughtfully. "It's the same thing," he said.
— A.A. Milne

Fallen leaves under the water

Mizu soko no
Iwa ni ochitsuku
Kono ha kana.

Under the water,
On the rock resting,
The fallen leaves.

This is by Joso (1661 - 1704), one of the chief disciples of Basho. Superficially and ordinarily, most of us are liable to think nothing of the fallen leaves of autumn finding their final resting place on the rocks in the stream.  The poet does not venture to think of anything beyond. He just sees them there and gives no intimation as to what he has in his mind. It is this very silence of the poet that makes the verse all the more eloquent.  ~from Zen and Japanese Culture by D.T. Suzuki

The Sound of Autumn

Autumn is come!
Though not visible
So clearly to the eyes,
One knows it by the sound
Of the wind as it blows.

~poem from Zen and Japanese Culture by D.T. Suzuki

Autumn takes its sweet time coming to the Sonoran Desert.  These pictures were taken yesterday by the creek.  With leaves gently rustling in the breeze, it felt like autumn, even though there was just a whisper of golden color on the trees.