Chuck says
when we were younger
it was sort of a whimsy
to think of time passing
before we shrugged it off
and moved on with our day
now it’s a reality
fleeting has a new meaning
and each day
each moment
a new significance
there is nothing quite like
these Saturday morning conversations
to remind one
of things one cannot overlook
anymore
so it’s Judy Collins
on the stereo
which prompted that comment
and wine this early
in the morning
and the hell with time
let it pass
there’s laundry to do
some food shopping
buy a steak to eat
with eggs for breakfast
tomorrow morning
and dare that specter
to try anything funny
with me today
Author: zdunno03
what price to pay
there is no winning
here
just a question of
how much to lose
save what you can
let go of the rest
what doesn’t stick
was never yours anyway
forget what they told you
about yours mine theirs ours
about choices
roads to take taken
each leads to a cliff
the question is not to fall
but how far down
life is losing more
than you gain
a sad reality
people places things
all you really take
with you
is what you cultivated
inside
and if losing it all
to start over
is the price you pay
then pay the two dollars
and move on
there’s more to see
to do
to feel
and what did you think
it was about
anyway
it was always this moment
poised on the cusp
ready to step off
into one more lifetime
for however long
it lasts
what lingers: a tanka
the little things stay
a tug on the old heart strings
the body will sag
remembering what lingers
never able to forget
John Gardner on moral art
The premise of moral art is that life is better than death; art hunts for avenues to life. The book succeeds if we’re powerfully persuaded that the focal characters, in their fight for life, have won honestly or, if they lose, are tragic in their loss, not just tiresome and pitiful.
3:30am in Maltepe, Istanbul
the tea
grows cold
as the night
wears on
waiting
for morning
one night
at a time
Gabriel Garcia Marquez on the difference between journalism and fiction
In journalism just one fact that is false prejudices the entire work. In contrast, in fiction one single fact that is true gives legitimacy to the entire work. That’s the only difference, and it lies in the commitment of the writer. A novelist can do anything he wants so long as he makes people believe in it.
you like some song
drifting
through the channels
of my mind
you
like some song
I heard
in the morning
and can’t quite lose
by night
Looking Out from the Rear of My Study by Hsieh T’iao
From this high up I can see in all directions
from the window I can make out a robe and a belt
a mountain in the clouds
a river beyond the plains
summer foliage forming a curtain
autumn lotus leaves turning into a canopy
but whenever I look toward the capital
my heart is like a flag in the wind
translated by Red Pine
Jade Steps Pliant by Hsieh T’iao
Palace at dusk, the pearl blind is lowered,
Drifting fireflies glide and come to rest;
Through the long night I sew a fine silk jacket–
My thoughts of you, when will they end?
translated by Ronald C. Miao
From Hsinlinpu River Bridge on the Way to Hsuancheng by Hsieh T’iao
River traffic keeps heading southwest
the ocean-bound current surges northwest
I see boats on the horizon sailing home
and trees along the river wrapped in clouds
thinking about this trip exhausts and deflates me
I’ve journeyed alone so many times
but it meets my need for a salary
and accords my interest in eremitic realms
cut off henceforth from dust and noise
surely I’ll find what brings my heart joy
although I lack a panther’s guise
I will disappear at last into the misty southern peaks
translated by Red Pine
Leonard Durso 