he can’t remember the song
just the image
her naked dancing
candles the only light in the room
he’s sitting on the floor
leaning back against the couch
the dog asleep above him
and her hips sway
the light playing shadows
where lust lives
and he will bury his head soon
immersed in shadows himself
and hips will be joined
on that floor
that rug
lost in what should have lasted forever
but is only a memory now
Month: November 2013
New Year’s Eve by Nazim Hikmet
The snow falling hard through the night
sparkled in the starlight.
There is a house on a street in a city,
a wooden house so far away.
The child sleeping on the pillow
is plump and blond–my son.
There are no guests, no one.
Poor Istanbul out the window.
Shrill whistles screamed outside.
Loneliness feels like prison.
Munevver closed her book
and softly cried.
There is a house on a street in a city,
a wooden house so far away.
The snow falling hard through the night
sparkled in the starlight.
translated by Randy Blasing & Mutlu Konuk
picture perfect: for RK
it’s the way she stands
one leg bent, weight shifted right
the foot raised slightly
that knowing smile on the lips
bemused eyes, beautiful heart
The Cowherd: A Song by Ch’u Kwang-hsi
It matters not if the pasture is far;
It matters not if the slope is steep.
Whether or not the cattle are tame or wild,
The cowherd’s mind is always calm.
A round bamboo hat over my head,
And a long palm-leaf coat to cover my body.
They’re good against summer showers
And good for days cloudy and cold.
The big cows are hidden behind the slopes;
The little ones dart in and out of nearby woods.
All things seem to please each other;
And they move me to sing and chant.
Joy is found in a moment;
Who would ask for a finer tune?
Encountering a Snowstorm, I Stay with the Recluse of Mount Hibiscus by Tu Fu
Dark hills distant in the setting sun,
Thatched but stark under wintry skies.
A dog barks at the brushwood gate,
As someone heads home this windy, snowy night.
Leonard Durso 