Poem Written with Buson
Rent from DeepDyve- Poem Written with Buson
He told usto go outside
and if someone talked to usto be silent
not in a hostile waymore like after the bells
have stopped performingmore like the building
glazed with sunno longer heard
in evening windhe stumbles suddenly
it's because they have votedto stop thinking
life can be taken awayGirls from Ohara
owls darkeningthe maples at evening
I have never beenon a difficult journey
my beloved villageno longer satisfies me [End Page 165]
the white flowerin the darkness of the heart
the gateway at midnightsomeone goes through
to become invisiblein the capital
when the lanterns of financehave been extinguished
the two of themfeel strengthened
by wine and the songsthat make the path
that can onlybe seen in darkness
hours later the rustlingof her robe
says an old wellis a frightening thing [End Page 166]
Matthew Zapruder is the author of Why Poetry (2017), a book of prose, and the poetry collections Sun Bear (2014), Come on All You Ghosts (2010), and The Pajamaist (2006), among other works. His honors include the May Sarton poetry award from the American Academy of Arts and Sciences; the William Carlos Williams Award from the Poetry Society of America; and Lannan and Guggenheim fellowships.
