Tag Archives: poetry

Bhutan Series: Ngawang/Thimpu

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A tranquil photograph of a wooded hillside in Thimphu, Bhutan, with hundreds of colorful Buddhist prayer flags strung between tall, slender trees.

Ngawang fast walks 20 clicks before breakfast
returns in time to guide a stroll of guests
he’s been a monk a soldier
an 8-times snowman trekker
these days chasing the tariffs
to send his 3 girls to school
working for milk toast money

past the peak he pulls away
giving me space to descend the valley alone
there in the flurry of prayer flags
an orange butterfly leads me down

belt

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is the belt back in fashion?
it joins
connects
uplifts midrifts
takes up the slacks
or so
these days we’re told
belts bring great gains to all
 
yet a belt once it’s fashioned
can cinch
squeeze in
constrict the strips
transect the tracts
you must recall
some other ends to which
stiff old school belts were taken
 
you’ve heard the tale, of the sorry young soul
fallen heedlessly, hauled up to safety
by kind stranger’s belt, held out in charity
for years to follow, the rescue celebrated
the hero lauded, the great grand saviour
the other unnamed, forgotten lost in the plot
 
 
i’m just saying
belts comes with their buckle

road

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at dochula pass we holler together
we three thinley, jigme and me
Hegyelo! the gods prevail!
thus we hail
the Himalyan wall
that’s said to keep
the demons out
by divine decree
 
even as one hundred and eight stupas
commemorate the human forces at work
the fourth king’s bloody defence
of independent borders
to secure a net result of
gross national happiness
 
past dochula the path descends through cypress
we stop to snap a shy Gray Langur in the trees
Kuzo Zangpo La! Good to meet!
thus we greet
the annual cavalcade
of abbot chief
having blest and left
vacating his winter seat
 
near sunset our roads unite at Punakha 
where with the help of friends and strangers
we unfurl what we have carried all this day
and hoist upon suspension bridge
above father’s river* the wafting prayers
of one hundred and eight sutras
 
 
 
 
 
*Po Chhu: the father river

creep

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alone against 
the loom of competition

despite the hairnet 
holding slide in place  

even at noon
fending evening off
A vertical photograph of a steep, wooded hillside along the Kumano Kodo trail in Japan. The slope is covered with a green erosion control net, or 'geotextile,' that stretches upward. The image captures the slow, persistent process of erosion that the net is designed to combat, visually reflecting the post's title, 'creep'.

unshod

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soon after spain i was in japan
where they’re very particular

chided by mrs ozaki
only socks could meet tatami
even that virgin slipper i’d filched 
from business class was banned

sandals off
for special encounters 
is as old a rite
as the burning bush

A vertical, nighttime photograph of a large, leafy shrub with dense foliage that glows in a fiery orange-yellow. The plant is illuminated by a streetlamp, creating a visual that strongly resembles a burning bush. The ground below is wet and reflects the bright light. The photograph was taken in Spain.

urgull cristo

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the battlements counter 
enemies from all quarters
as we do these days
the glow of past years ending

jesus at the peak
though seems still
to cast a shield
of communal serenity

till up close and personal
one sees the antenna 
exclusive telegraph to god?
or lightning rod? 

A photograph of the iconic bronze statue of Christo de la Mota on Mount Urgull in San Sebastian, Spain. The statue is shown from below, with its outstretched arms and the silhouette of a radio antenna on its back, against a bright, cloudy sky. The image captures a famous city landmark and its unique, modern addition.

 

dawn on namatjira drive

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A wide-angle landscape photograph of the Larapinta Range against a dramatic and cloudy sunrise sky. The sky is filled with streaks of gold and blue, with ominous clouds gathering overhead. The image was taken from Namatjira Drive. 

namatjira drove himself to death
from regret and blame
from painting trees as trees
and dawns as dawns
from drinking in spirits that others
could not hold down

whitebird

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does he resent
how songs are mostly sung
for blackbirds 
in the dead of night?
A vertical photograph of a seemingly solitary, mostly leafless tree with intricate branches extending upwards against a clear blue sky. Upon closer inspection, a small, white bird is perched delicately on one of the upper branches. The ground features dry, golden grasses and low vegetation. The image, taken in bright daylight, offers a visual counterpoint to the poem's themes of blackbirds and night, and the presence of the small "whitebird" becomes a key element.

 

sand-stone misnomer

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the heavitree range, it would appear 
is not
A wide, panoramic photograph of the Heavitree Range, an arid and rugged landscape under a clear, light blue sky. Despite the name suggesting trees ("Heavy-tree"), the scene is characterized by undulating, rocky terrain with sparse, dry vegetation and no prominent trees visible across the vast expanse. A distant ridge of low mountains forms the horizon. The color palette is dominated by earthy browns, yellows, and grays, emphasizing the stark and open nature of this Australian environment.

as craggy habitat, it's no match 
for sandy river gorge
A photograph taken at ground level within what is likely the Sandy River Gorge, featuring several tall, slender gum trees with light-colored bark and sparse green foliage. The ground is sandy or dusty, with dappled sunlight filtering through the leaves, suggesting the presence of a riverine environment conducive to tree growth, despite the "sandy" descriptor. In the background, more trees and vegetation indicate a more vegetated area than depicted in the Heavitree Range photograph, highlighting the unexpected contrast and the wordplay in the post's title.

standley’s chasm

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A vertical photograph looking up from the floor of Standley Chasm, also known as Angkerle Atwatye, in the Northern Territory of Australia. Two towering, reddish-orange rock walls rise steeply on either side, their vertical textures emphasized by the narrow strip of bright daylight that enters from above. The light powerfully illuminates the sandy ground at the base of the chasm and the top of the rock faces, while the rest of the walls are cast in deep shadow. The image conveys a dramatic sense of scale and enclosure within this significant geological feature of Central Australia.

Ms. Ida Standley 
flinty with resolve
first schooled
the mulatto castoffs in Alice
till the attentions of leery townsmen
dogging her female charges 
drove her bulwark westward
to Ray's Creek 
near the chasm  
the namby magma stretchmark
once extruded through quartzite
worn now down to naught
great Australian orogeny
and misogyny alike
bowing to force of nature
leaving the base cleft