it’s not the grand gesture
the great sacrifice
that proves what lies
in a heart
but the accumulation
of the small things
that go unnoticed
during the daylight
the evening
of our lives
Author: zdunno03
An echo from my Father
My Love’s Gone Off To War from the Book of Songs
My love’s gone off to war,
who knows how long gone
or where O where.
Chickens settle unto nests,
an evening sun sinks away,
oxen and sheep wander in–
but my love’s gone off to war
and nothing can stop these thoughts of him.
My love’s gone off to war,
not for days or even months,
and who survives such things?
Chickens settle onto perches,
an evening sun sinks away,
oxen and sheep wander home–
but my love’s gone off to war
if hunger and thirst spared him that long.
translated by David Hinton
where I am: Michael’s lament
still very much alone
haunted by his memories
what it could have been
what it was, images of
what probably lies ahead
speak to me of winding roads
speak to me
of winding roads
the setting sun
just over the horizon
and miles to go
in our handmade cart
before the inevitable
darkness overwhelms us
from The Book of Songs, No. 124
I climb that wooded hill
And look towards where my father is.
My father is saying, ‘Alas, my son is on service;
Day and night he knows no rest.
Grant that he is being careful of himself,
So that he may come back and not be left behind.’
I climb that bare hill
And look towards where my mother is.
My mother is saying, ‘Alas, my young one is on service;
Day and night he gets no sleep.
Grant that he is being careful of himself,
So that he may come back, and not be cast away.’
I climb that ridge
And look towards where my elder brother is.
My brother is saying, ‘Alas, my young brother is on service;
Day and night he toils.
Grant that he is being careful of himself,
So that he may come back and not die.’
translated by Arthur Waley
the what ifs: for CC
there are the what ifs
I had done this
or had done that
how different my world
would be
and yet
there is the what ifs
I hadn’t done this
or hadn’t done that
how very different
for others
the world would be
a poem after Tu Fu
a breeze off the ocean
sand between my toes
a shadow of a dog chases a wave
and I stand hands in pockets
the pier off to my left
the sound of the carousel
still in my ears
here in a city without angels
looking for a few people
I used to know
most of the time: Beppe’s modus operandi
I walk a straight line
I stay on the page
I see what’s coming from behind
know the lay of the land
the way the cookie crumbles
but then again
there are those times
I get blindsided by my own self
and I’m left twisting
in the proverbial wind
a fool is a fool is a fool
who thinks he’s too smart
to be stupid
the heart’s journey
my heart follows a path
toward you
though where you are
is uncertain
who you are
unknown
that doesn’t stop this heart
from seeking
through words
and endless action
the heart that beats
inside you
Leonard Durso 