the cat
crawls
onto my arm
pinning me down
with his love
other writing
Two-Masted Ship by Shu Ting
Fog moistens both wings
But the wind allows no dallying
O shore, beloved shore
We parted just yesterday
And you are here again today
Tomorrow at a different latitude
We shall meet along my course
Remember the storm, the lighthouse
That brought us together
Another storm, a different light
Drove us asunder again
Even though morning or evening
Sky and ocean stand between us
You are always on my voyage
I am always in your sight
translated by Fang Dai, Dennis Ding, & Edward Morin
night
night
falls
regardless of how
we think
about it
the sixties: still throbbing
I was talking to a friend
about the way the world
is going
and we thought back
in time
to the sixties
not just in america
but all over the world
death war peace protest
words common in many tongues
civil liberties in check
fingers pointing
black and white issues
countries divided
by ageracereligiongender
issues still alive today
names change
and faces too
but victory is still a dream
away
the rest of the story
we danced on tables
all night
during those wild crazy days
of summer
laid under a blanket
on the beach
whispering love poems
sat on the edge
of a volcano
eating barbecue
and counted stars
under a western sky
a lifetime ago
you were every woman
who ever accompanied me
in every story
on all the pages
of my life
for you are my last love
obliterating every other love
that ever was
with the passion
in my heart
for you
now if only
I could find you
the rest of the story
is already written
an expatriate’s wish
standing in bare feet
exiled in a distant land
seeking some comfort
with the aroma of mint
floating on the evening air
a fantasy: for Alex
I’m sitting on a train
going from one city
to another
in Italy
and a woman sits opposite me
wearing a blue dress
barely touching the knees
and heels
a scarf draped casually
around her slender neck
crosses her legs
leans back in the seat
and begins reading a novel
by Jose Saramago
The Year of the Death of Ricardo Reis
in hardcover
in English
a sad smile lingers
on her lips
she stays intent on the book
not her cellphone
like so many I know see
a big plus in my ledger
and there I sit
rereading The Gospel According To Jesus Christ
and our eyes meet
just above our Saramagos
and words
which will come later
hang in the air
between us
sunday
sardines on toast
lemon water
laurel & hardy
w.c. fields
the marx brothers
all day long
who says the world is filled
with sorrow
not as long as you can laugh
popcorn and white wine
heaven at home
in this corner
of the world
delaying the future
there are fresh mulberries
both at the grocery
and on the corner cart
perfect to eat later
while watching detective montalbano
deal with crime in sicily
the breeze by the sea
cools as the sun burns my head
I think of hats
and sigh
afterthoughts are always
20/20
stopping by uğur electronic
then my weekly supply of candles
coffee with alex
at his shop
two chinese figurines in tow
a gift of an owl
dinner later ottoman style
since 1919
lamb with nuts
eggplant with beef
white wine from ayhan
to sip late at night
listening to southside johnny’s blues
as I sit in my chair
the cat sleeping on my arm
the weight of the world
nowhere in sight
how I will miss this
already a memory
as the future
plays forward
in time
and time is something
that doesn’t stand still
there is no delaying
inevitable change
as I limp forward
toward my tomorrows
wouldn’t that be roses
that look in your eye
just before sunset
when the night held more promise
than the day
it might have lasted forever
in some other lifetime
wouldn’t that have been something
to laugh about
in a corner booth
in heaven
roses, kid
in an always spring
Leonard Durso 