Desire

 
 
 

in a photograph
 
plum blossoms my heart desired
 
forty years ago

Song

 
 
 

The wren in my heart,
 
building a nest for its young,
 
sings a fertile song.

Pinned

 
 
 

to quicken his heart
 
one yellow chrysanthemum
 
pinned in her black hair

Timekeeper

 
 
 

My grandfather’s watch—
 
not a tick for fifty years,
 
yet my heart keeps time.

Lotus

 
 
 

three weary pilgrims
 
losing heart along the way—
 
a whiff of lotus

Gnawing

 
 
 

on the second day
 
after she decides to leave
 
mice gnawing her heart

Bowl

 
 
 

blue ceramic bowl—
 
its emptiness is enough
 
for the grateful heart