On silver sand where ripples curled I counted sea-gulls seven; Shy, secret screened from all the world, And innocent as heaven. They did not of my nearness know, For dawn was barely bright, And they were still, like spots of snow In that pale, pearly light. Then one went forth unto the sea That rippled […]
No rack can torture me, My soul’s at liberty Behind this mortal bone There knits a bolder one You cannot prick with saw, Nor rend with scymitar. Two bodies therefore be; Bind one, and one will flee. The eagle of his nest No easier divest And gain the sky, Than mayest thou, Except thyself may […]
I chop the greens, choi sum. I bought from the Japanese woman at the farmer’s market, and the green onions and asparagus, 5 curving stalks. Into the pot with the ginger the old Chinese man put on his scale, the small piece he added last, to make the weight come out even. I throw in […]
Victor was a little baby, Into this world he came; His father took him on his knee and said: ‘Don’t dishonour the family name.’ Victor looked up at his father Looked up with big round eyes: His father said; ‘Victor, my only son, Don’t you ever ever tell lies.’ Victor and his father went riding […]
I had a dream the other night, I didn’t understand. A figure walking through the mist, with flintlock in his hand. His clothes were torn and dirty, as he stood there by the bed, He took off his three-cornered hat, and speaking low, he said: “We fought a revolution, to secure our liberty. We wrote […]
sad indeed, there are other freedoms still freedom from having no ideas, from this dryness, freedom from having you as a poet on forced wit and half-cooked cleverness freedom from a reader who has nothing to offer except his own loneliness his having nothing to do freedom from beng bored to death freedom from having […]
The wounded snake its hood unfurls, The flame stirred up doth blaze, The desert air resounds the calls Of heart-struck lion’s rage. The cloud puts forth it deluge strength When lightning cleaves its breast, When the soul is stirred to its in most depth Great ones unfold their best. Let eyes grow dim and heart […]
A new freedom Everybody wants to fly as a bird, Nobody wants to remain in chains, Because everyone has a new freedom to live merrily, But some cruel take our freedom away And make us their slave. Freedom is a god gifted gift Which nobody can destroy from this earth. Freedom is not made for […]
There is no suffering for the one who has completed the journey, who is freed from sorrow, who has freed oneself on all sides, who has thrown off all chains. The thoughtful exert themselves; they do not delight in a home; like swans who have left their lake, they leave their house and home. Those […]
I have been looking for you, World Honored One, since I was a little child. With my first breath, I heard your call, and began to look for you, Blessed One. I’ve walked so many perilous paths, confronted so many dangers, endured despair, fear, hopes, and memories. I’ve trekked to the farthest regions, immense and […]
