Ryland Shengzhi Li
but I am dark
and short
and soon to depart . . .
and who does not
love the crocuses?

About the writer:
Ryland Shengzhi Li is an environmental lawyer and poet living in Northern Virginia. His work juxtaposes the natural with the human and suggests the interdependence between all things. Ryland writes predominantly haiku and tanka, and his work has been published in Frogpond, Modern Haiku, Ribbons, Presence, and many other journals.
Image: Crocuses with Snowy Mountains Behind by Stanislaw Witkiewicz (1851-1915). Oil on board. 12.7 x 15.7 inches. 1897. Public domain.