there is a world
out there
beyond the window screen
and as he feels
the breeze brush his face
on this mild winter day
he wonders
what would life be like
outside the safety
of this house
and the cat
looks back
at me
as if I had
all the answers
to all the questions
in both of our heads
questions
this side of the world
that foot poised
as if ready for flight
the back arched
the head slightly tilted
a question there
to ask
but answers are wanting
on this side
of the world
the question hanging in the air
I read the question
hanging in the air
thousands of miles
thousands of years
between us
what answer to give
as if there is only one
to soothe a heart
if a heart can be given rest
in a world in constant motion
there aren’t always answers
that one would like
to hear
or that one
can honestly say
how many
how many hours
must I spend
to write a letter
to the one
I love
how many days
must I endure
to hear the voice
of the one
I love
how many seas
must I cross
to see the eyes
of the one
I love
how many how many
how many
? by Orhan Veli Kanık
Why do I think of masts
When I mention a port?
And of sailboats
When I mention the open seas?
Of cats when I mention March,
Of workers when I mention justice?
And why does the old miller
Believe in God without thinking?
And on windy days
Why does the rain come down at a slant?
translated by Murat Nemet-Nejat
on decisions
to do or
not to do
the questions
she will ask
they will ask
follow the heart
or the mind
the impact
felt on all
for years
to come
a haiku for JB
he sits there staring
at the question as if it
might answer itself
Leonard Durso 