you say
I could never
forgive that
and I wonder
why
if the inability
to forgive
is not somehow
connected to
our pride
isn’t love
lover friend family
at least
selfless
not selfish
and though that
is not an easy thing
to be
to do
whoever said
loving
was easy
Month: August 2014
shoes
there it is
all unpacked
put away
organized
at last
but where oh where
are 10 pairs of shoes
are they still walking
on their way
to Izmir
but whose feet
are they on
There Must Be Something by Orhan Veli Kanik
Is the sea as beautiful as this every day?
Does the sky look like this all the time?
Is this furniture, this window
always as lovely as this?
No,
by God no.
There must be something behind this somewhere.
translated by Bernard Lewis
Snow Storm by Tu Fu
Tumult, weeping, many new ghosts.
Heartbroken, aging, alone, I sing
To myself. Ragged mist settles
In the spreading dusk. Snow skurries
In the coiling wind. The wineglass
Is spilled. The bottle is empty.
The fire has gone out in the stove.
Everywhere men speak in whispers.
I brood on the uselessness of letters.
translated by Kenneth Rexroth
Clear After Rain by Tu Fu
Autumn, cloud blades on the horizon.
The west wind blows from ten thıousand miles.
Dawn, in the early morning air,
Farmers busy after a long rain.
The desert trees shed their few good leaves.
The mountain pears are tiny but ripe.
A tartar flute plays by the city gate.
A single wild goose climbs into the void.
translated by Kenneth Rexroth
Passing by a Mountain Village: Evening by Chang Yu
For several miles I have heard the chill waters,
Homes in the mountain, no one else around–
Strange birds scream over the broad plain;
The setting sun puts fear into the traveler’s heart.
A new moon before the twilight’s gone,
Beacons of war never come this far–
There in the gloom beyond the mulberries
Are home fires to which I gradually draw closer.
translated by Stephen Owen
blindsided: for Chuck
there it is
undetected
coming out of
left field
just when you
were looking right
it’s that car
from nowhere
knocking you into
a ditch
over a guardrail
into the bottom
of a canyon
you didn’t expect it
were not ready
your judgment on holiday
but in she came
on those long legs
wearing that smile
to some private joke
sunshine framing her
like in the movies
blindsided
my friend
your heart
on perspective
there are things
you learn
by looking at them
from different angles
a matter of
perspective
sometimes
the culture of a place
influenes that
the people surrounding you
since the people
in the place
define the culture
or are defined
by it
and you
the one passing through
get to see
their world view
which in turn
influences your own
and here I stand
in a place
much different
from where I came
and see the whole
more clearly
rather than segments
as before
it’s all about
experience
or lack of it
yours theirs
and the world
at large
suddenly seems
even larger
than before
from Song of WaterClock at Night: Lyric 2 by Wen T’ing-yün
A goldfinch in my hair,
My cheek’s brightly rouged,
For one brief moment we met among flowers.
You understood my heart,
And tender was your love.
Only Heaven knew the joy we shared.
The incense turns to ashes,
The candle dissolves in tears;
How like our innermost feelings for one another.
The peaked pillow is smeared,
The brocade covers cold,
When waking I find the water clock has stopped.
translated by William R. Schultz
Sunset by Tu Fu
Sunset glitters on the beads
Of the curtains. Spring flowers
Bloom in the valley. The gardens
Along the river are filled
With perfume. Smoke of cooking
Fires drifts over the slow barges.
Sparrows hop and tumble in
The branches. Whirling insects
Swarm in the air. Who discovered
That one cup of thick wine
Will dispel a thousand cares?
translated by Kenneth Rexroth
Leonard Durso 