A sleeper
Stands pinned-
Oblivious
To the endless
Whirring sutras
Of summer insects,
The hot wind
Of summer
Stirs old man's hair,
Shadowing a
Boy's face,
The smell
Of river mud,
Ox-dung,
And drying hay
Baking in the sun
Perfumes all,
While the
Sun beats,
Merciless,
Overhead.
By accident of birth
You didn't fit
In Man's world,
Nor that of Demons.
So you created
A house
For yourself,
With only room
For one.
Tired of empty rooms,
You chose
The Demon road-
A sacred jewel
Would set you free.
In high summer
You tried to steal it,
The guardian
Drove you away.
Until one day
She asked you
To join her,
Sitting side-by-side
In the long, tall
Summer grass,
Wary, you assented-
A stray dog
Invited to the
Fireside.
Leaves burn
Red with silent
Flames,
Frost is
Calligraphy
On the sleeper's
Hands and face,
Outlining
His clothes and hair,
Frozen early
Morning fog-
Hanging above
The forest floor,
Burnished gold,
Fallen leaves
The forest an
Autumn crucible
Of silent stillness.
A mouse skitters
Among them,
Pauses,
Looks,
And continues-
The sleeper
Undisturbed.
Your courtship
Cautious-
Why risk an
Empty house
When another
Can so easily
Burn it down,
Leaving you
With nothing?
She was as you,
Though set apart
By value-
Honored for
Her gifts,
Living in
In an empty house,
Built for her
By others.
She asked
You in-
To wander through
Her endless
Rooms,
Touching what you may-
As autumn leaves
Drifted down-
Intoxicating!
Snow falls silent
Upon the sleeper,
Gathering in
The folds of his
Garments,
Drifting in his hair,
Melting from
His face.
Rabbits,
Deer,
Lone red foxes,
All leave tracks
Below his feet,
Intent upon
Their own
Lives-
For who has
Time for
An outcast
Suspended
Between
Heaven and
Hell?
Jewel forgotten,
Transformation
Deferred
Snow falls
Upon the
Village streets
And barns-
Inside is
Warm and dry.
Tea and firelight,
Sake with black salt,
Graceful hands
To pour
For you,
Even as
The villagers
Talk-
Who cares?
Your empty rooms
Now hold another,
Still wary,
You marvel-
Is this what
It's supposed to be?
You came to
Steal a jewel-
You didn't have to.
Thunder echoes
In the mountains,
Streams break free
From ice,
A bird builds
A nest-
Three blue eggs
In a dreamer's hair-
Cherry blossom
Petals drift
In the warming
Wind,
Settling on his
Man-child's face,
While
In the fields
And paddies
Planting songs
Tell the world
Spring has come-
Time to prepare
For the coming
Winter.
Unspoken,
It hung
Between you
She'd led you down
Another road
One you'd
Thought
Closed to you
By birth.
The Demon road
She could give you,
But why not that
Of Man?
With a house
Full of another,
Man's road
Wouldn't seem
A burden.
So you assented,
A choice made-
Stolen by another,
You stole
What was a gift
Old hurts got
In the way-
Crucified,
You sleep alone.
Summer wheels
Around again,
Tall grass blowing
In the wind,
The sleeper
Dreams on,
Wandering
Alone inside
His heart,
Oblivious
To the endless
Whirring sutras
Of summer insects,
The hot wind
Of summer
Stirs old man's hair,
Shadowing a
Boy's face,
The smell
Of river mud,
Ox-dung,
And drying hay
Baking in the sun
Perfumes all,
While the
Sun beats,
Merciless,
Overhead.