Tanka
I curl up
in the blanket
she gave me
the spring moonlight gathers
at the empty side of the bed
staring
at myself in the mirror…
I march
into the summer of '89
reflected on the CNN news
a
close-up
of mother and me...
between us
a surging sea
and nine autumn
the photo of her
wearing a lily-white dress
on that spring day...
it floats on the river
of my winter memories
blue moon
my fortieth New Year's Day
I still fail
to become a phoenix—
a heap of embers
measuring
the weight and length
of loneliness
I count the stars
sparkling in the spring sky
a
summer butterfly
has flown my muse
into nowhere
I start envying
things that have wings
autumn night...
I bait a crescent moon
with my mind
angling
for her flower heart
the
voice
inside my head
drags my feet
down the yellow brick road . . .
crows hover in this winter sky
