Here is a black and white breakwater photo I took in the Bahamas, off Great Abaco. These man-made structures are designed to mimic the appearance of shoals, but their job is to protect the coast from high-energy waves and storms. The pitted rocks stretch diagonally across the sea, from right to left, like a bridge over calm waves. The sky is strewn with a delicate mixture of clouds; my favorite being the wispy cirrus in the upper right that looks like a fishbone or a feathery arrow. Between the rugged rocks and soft sky, the ocean appears wrinkly, almost silken, leading to a distant line of shore. The tinest sailboat drifts on the right, facing left.

Standing before this clutch of serenity, I couldn’t help but wonder: what stories does each rock hold? Every dip, crack, and dent becomes a word. From all angles, different pages emerge. Yet, all we can read is on the surface. What dwells deeper within or beneath the tides? An ocean of libraries. These thoughts inspired another haiku in my travel journal.

clouds shape narrative
shoal rock tales
form a library

A large dissipating thunderstorm that has mammatus clouds and streaks stretching upwards. The underside is very dark and hangs over distant mountains and the city of San Luis Obispo, California. I am walking up a wide, sunny dirt trail on Cerro San Luis Obispo.

A large dissipating thunderstorm that has mammatus clouds and streaks stretching upwards. The underside is very dark and hangs over distant mountains and the city of San Luis Obispo, California. I am walking up a wide, sunny dirt trail on Cerro San Luis Obispo.

Here is a black and white breakwater photo I took in the Bahamas, off Great Abaco. These man-made structures are designed to mimic the appearance of shoals, but their job is to protect the coast from high-energy waves and storms. The pitted rocks stretch diagonally across the sea, from right to left, like a bridge over calm waves. The sky is strewn with a delicate mixture of clouds; my favorite being the wispy cirrus in the upper right that looks like a fishbone or a feathery arrow. Between the rugged rocks and soft sky, the ocean appears wrinkly, almost silken, leading to a distant line of shore. The tinest sailboat drifts on the right, facing left.

Standing before this clutch of serenity, I couldn’t help but wonder: what stories does each rock hold? Every dip, crack, and dent becomes a word. From all angles, different pages emerge. Yet, all we can read is on the surface. What dwells deeper within or beneath the tides? An ocean of libraries. These thoughts inspired another haiku in my travel journal.

clouds shape narrative
shoal rock tales
form a library

A person stands on a large tree stump overlooking rolling green tea plantations and forested hills. Low clouds and mist drift between distant mountain ridges under a soft, pale-blue sky, creating layered depth across the landscape.

A person stands on a large tree stump overlooking rolling green tea plantations and forested hills. Low clouds and mist drift between distant mountain ridges under a soft, pale-blue sky, creating layered depth across the landscape.

A female in a grey dress holding a photo print of clouds, in front of tall buildings and blue sky.

A female in a grey dress holding a photo print of clouds, in front of tall buildings and blue sky.

Landscape shot of an overlook of Shenandoah Valley with big clouds in the sky

Landscape shot of an overlook of Shenandoah Valley with big clouds in the sky