Jammed securely into this chamber–three
by five–of numberless numbers, dripping
like Inga in August, my flushed ears listen
to the roar of reticence that permeates
our hive of heavy bodies.
Eyes oscillate between clocks and computers
as fingers flutter and shoulders shake beside
document drenched desks.
At five o’clock, smiles spread thinly over our
flagging faces, even though, for us, the road
to home leads nowhere.
steam rises swiftly
from a metal colander
filled with moist soba,
echoing the unspoken
grievances of yesterday
A Miko (shrine maiden) in Nara Park observes the people around her
Nara, Japan-2015年7月26日
lush grapes
line the pathways
that we aimlessly traipse
along, beneath sun’s thrashing rays
today
The King has departed.
Spotted peach blossoms
unfold their fragile wings
in front of sun-melted
faces, kissing the wind
in the darkness as they
journey away towards
the mountainside.
I pray that we shall meet again.
Near the grounds of Toko-ji Temple in Kofu, Japan
a United States penny in mid-spin
When my Mary was four years
old, she loved wearing a particular
red dress. It had white and pink
butterflies embroidered on it. She
wore that dress until it fell apart.
Grandma Elliot bought that dress
for her.
When my Mary was four, maybe
three, she loved wearing a particular
red dress. She wore that dress
almost every day. Grandma bought
that dress.
When my Mary was little, she loved
wearing a particular red dress. She
sure did wear that dress a lot!
When my Mary was a girl, she loved
wearing a red dress.
My daughter loved wearing a red dress.
A long time ago, I knew a little girl who
wore a red dress. I can’t remember
her name.
길을 잃었다 가도 가도 그냥 모래뿐이었다
고비 사막이었다
반가워라
모래에 묻혔다 나온 백골
장차 내 백골 따위
어디쯤에서
뒷세상의 길이 될까
가슴이 두근두근 오아시스가 가까웠다
-고은
I was lost – an endless ocean of sand no matter where I went
the Gobi Desert
embrace it
buried in the sand – a skeleton appeared
soon it would be my skeleton like that
somewhere
possibly on the road to the next world
my heart pounded for an oasis was near
-Ko Un
—————
In December I gave the copy of Flowers of a Moment that I was translating as a thank-you gift to the kind woman who was my medical translator during the preoperative appointments for my eye muscle surgery. She was also with me on the day of the surgery. I will always be extremely grateful to her for all of her help.
Needless to say, for some strange reason, I never purchased a new copy of the book, so I was unable to finish the translation project. This week I finally obtained a new copy and plan to finish the translation by the end of June.
atop an ocean of sky-blue
feathers, I lay coiled like an
infant, fresh from mother’s
womb, fists clenched, ready to
strike, with tiny toes tucked
tightly in twos, impatiently
waiting to be told what to do
and who to become, all the
while listening intently for the
persistent yet loving whisper
that shall provoke my
shrouded eyes to open and
smile upon this vast universe
sundry folly 