Simile: "Do not seek..."

Do not seek
for gentleness it comes
as gentle as the moon
floats
through the day
as gentle as these white
flowers on my palm
flickering
in a sunless
rain-near
breeze

Neil Oram

Metaphor:"Siesta"

A mosquito
motors in the room,

a taxi
in the ghost town.

Somewhere
salon doors
creak in the wind.

Ted Milton

Personification:"Fog"

The fog comes
on little cat feet.

It sits looking
over harbour city
on silent haunches
and then moves on.

Carl Sandburg

Irony: "Birth"

Perfect from the start
That small cell
Contains
Already
The wrinkles and death
Of an old man

Cecile Cloutier

Imagery:

With a crunching sound
the praying mantis devours
the face of a bee.

Yamaguchi Seishi

Mood: "True Enjoyment"

I drink tea on the terrace at sunset all alone.
Spring breezes fan me as I moisten my brush on stone.
Sitting in perfect comfort, I write a poem on a palm.
A kingfisher chirps on a bamboo clothes-rack safe from harm;
A dragonfly clings to a fishing line, buzzing his warm refrain.
Now that I know what enjoyment is,
I'll come here again and again!

Unknown Chinese

Tone: "Where Have You Gone"

Where have you gone

with your confident
walk with
your crooked smile

why did you leave
me
when you took your
laughter
and departed

are you aware that
with you
went the sun
all light
and what few stars
there were?

where have you gone
with your confident
walk your
crooked smile the
rent money
in one pocket and
my heart
in another...

Mari Evans