have courage
oh little boat
riding the current
on this raging river
heading out
to sea
“It’s not where you take things from – it’s where you take them to.”
from Douglas Moore’s Art of Quotation
“It’s not where you take things from – it’s where you take them to.”
Jean-Luc Godard, Director
“Only one is a wanderer; two together are always going somewhere.”
from Douglas Moore’s Art of Quotation
“Only one is a wanderer; two together are always going somewhere.”
— Madeleine, portrayed by Kim Novak, from the film “Vertigo“, 1958, directed by Alfred Hitchcock, 50 Greatest Films of All Time – British Film Institute
unfinished business
it can be called
unfinished business
though business
is not the word
I would prefer
the letters unanswered
the phone calls ignored
those messages unopened
on apps neglected
’tis the season
these take on
an urgency
they lack eleven months
a year
the past the present
converging once more
and I must consider
what to leave behind
what to take forward
into the new year
waiting
just outside
my door
some dreams
there are some dreams
that waking
brings an ache
to the heart
To See A Friend Off by Wang Wei
Dismount and drink this wine.
Where to? I ask.
At odds with the world:
Return to rest by the South Hill.
Go. Go. Do not ask again.
Endless, the white clouds.
translated by Wai-lim Yip
Night: Setting Out From Shih-kuan Pavilion by Hsieh Ling-yün
Followed mountains over a thousand miles,
Floated on a stream for almost ten evenings.
Birds return: boats and oars put aside.
Stars thinned out: a long weary trip.
High and bright, morning moon.
Cold, so cold, early dewdrips.
translated by Wai-lim Yip
Sailing into the South Lake by Chan Fang-sheng
P’eng-li commands three rivers.
Mount Lu masters other hills.
White sand cleans the waterway.
Green pines cover hanging crags.
The water: since when, it flows?
This mountain: since when, its being?
Man’s fate changes from this to that!
These forms alone stay forever.
Within the distant reach of the cosmos,
Past, present, in order, first, last.
translated by Wai-lim Yip
November 28, 2019: Thanksgiving in Istanbul
they always smile
when I buy a ticket
to a show there
last time Hamlet
today ballet
figuring this
couldn’t be in Turkish
dance is
after all
a language of its own
so is a smile
to brighten this day
on a non-Thanksgiving
in Istanbul
from a line by Tu Shen-yen: ancient songs
they float in the air
those tunes
those lyrics
transporting me
five thousand miles
five six decades
there in ancient songs
lie thoughts
of home
Leonard Durso 