I watch
from my balcony
the world
go by
in the joy
of a father
and his son
two women
holding babies
the laughter
of children
at play
and wonder
of the price
one pays
to miss
participation
in that world
spring morning
An Occasional Poem by Ssu-k’ung T’u
A hall by the water where the flowers grow dense,
A sunny day in spring just before noon–
A bird peeps at the window facing the rail,
A horse passes by–the crack of a whip beyond the wall.
translated by Irving Y. Lo