At first Jack’s words traversed impassive airUpdate: in S1-L4, changed "the" to "that" and "that" to "when"
like Calvin’s ferrying the Merrimack—
the other shore stays distant, unfamiliar,
until that heartbeat when you understand
the far-flung shore is now your terra firma.
“A bridge?” he asked himself, forgetting Jack
to be the source of all particulars.
“And why a bridge? The ferry isn’t forfeit
enough? My services aren’t sacrifice
enough for sins? The river isn’t blood
one needs to wash his body in each day
but just impediment or waterway
to voyage above, some anonymous
abyss between inconsequential worlds
one travels over, disregarded and
forgotten, just another groundless void?”
ON INTO WINTER
-
I had thought to end the autumn season with Kigin’s “shape of the wind”
hokku, but a reader in Japan then sent me a new verse that seemed quite
appropriate...
2 weeks ago

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