Life

When day broke
Light quickly flooded into
Every little crevice of the bushes
Dyeing the space
Mountain springs endlessly spouted water
Arrows of the morning sun pierced
The water so transparent that, startled, I saw
Small clouds of sand drift up,
Around the underbelly of a mountain trout
Fanned by its fin
Clouds were not praised
Neither was the sun celebrated
But only the precise bees flew busily about
Covered with bright yellow pollen from an Adonis
In the distance
I could see those already working to reclaim the land
And a dog running around them
There they were breaking clumps of soil, taking no rest
Rocks were being removed
Grass was pulled while it was still green, and thrown at the sky
From time to time
I saw a man pause in his tilling and speak to a woman
The woman would lift her face, and seemed to respond to the man, smiling
I saw her white teeth, deeply white, from a distance
From behind the mounds of hay
Many, many children ran out and away
A sweetfish jumped out of the water, catching the sun
Indifferent to all
Cows drank songs from the river

Only what was glistening under the sun existed
No letters or words existed
Sheep and dandelion leaves were one and the same

Yes, I saw it. Midway down the river,
Under the cool shade of a tree with thick young leaves
I saw a young man, sleeves rolled up, briskly wash a horse
I could see he genuinely loved his horse
Beyond them, I saw the river meander, with unfettered joy,
Into the tall grass beyond

LIFE