Snapshot Poem 16 August 02006

Poet on a Mountain Top from Classic Chinese Paintings

I Send Out This Paper Boat

August now, and three years --
four? -- since I've touched
your arm, heard that river-
bed voice. I grow old,

my hair lengthens and thins
at once, gray at the temples.
My body declines in every
sense. Our lives so far

apart, this sea too wide
for even dreams to bridge.
Both our beaches littered
with shards, lovers left

and leaving, broken shells
of expectations and demands.
There are wars between us;
storm and flood and deadly

drought; a long, desolate
peace. Our lives thin down
to this: one or two tenacious
friends, deep-rooted against

time, against wind and loneliness.
A few sparse lines in a Chinese
painting: one tree clings to the cliff,
branches stunted and bent; sea-

battered, salt-worn, but still
it holds. It holds.

Comments

[loren]

There are some delightful images here.I particularly liked “deep-rooted against time.”

[Tournesol]

This resonates with me so much right now. Thanks. It is beautiful.

[neha]

I like. I really like.

[The Heretik]

Quite nice.

[Ray]

Thoughts provoked.

[Jim]

Very evocative, and the closing lines are especially memorable, contemplative, right.

[twitches]

Wow -very nicely done. Love the language, the rhythm of the lines, flows so well across the page.

[Brian G. Fay]

I started reading this because I had just listened to a story of a man who built a paper row boat and was using it. That story was on the CBC and, as it turns out, had nothing to do with your poem which is lovely and soft. That's an odd way to describe it, but I was reminded of the way most Chinese landscape art gives me the feeling of mist and a soft wind blowing through.

"heard that river bed voice"

That's a great line.

[Emily]

Lovely poem. There were so many great things...great title and I especially liked:

Our lives thin down
to this: one or two tenacious
friends, deep-rooted against/time

[SB]

Thank you all -- every so often there is a poem I'm really pleased with, and this is one.

[Niki]

Beautiful - feelings, emotions, hope(?) So glad to see you are back on.