Variation on Two Lines of Han Shan
thirty years from now / she’ll look like chewed sugarcane
—trans. Red Pine
She unknots the robe & lets it fall
The sun has darkened her
She steps to the pallet
arranges pillow & sheet
dawn beneath the horizon
sultry light in the room
as the seasons wheel
A single word swallowed spit sung
dandled on the tongue
a gurgle a cough
a letter tucked in a book
the salt of him long fingers mouth
A grandchild tiptoes in
A native of the Pine Barrens region of southern New Jersey, John Repp has lived for many years in Erie, PA. His latest collection of poetry is The Soul of Rock & Roll: Poems Acoustic, Electric & Remixed, 1980-2020, just published by Broadstone Books.
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