1.) “Crows Calling at Night” by: Li bai
Yellow clouds beside the walls; crows roosting near.
Flying back, they caw, caw; calling in the boughs.
In the loom she weaves brocade, the Qin river girl.
Made of emerald yarn like mist, the window hides her words.
She stops the shuttle, sorrowful, and thinks of the distant man.
She stays alone in the lonely room, her tears just like the rain.
2.) Reinterpretation of “Crows Calling at Night” by: Li bai Yellow clouds near the walls where crows are roosting.
They are cawing as they fly into gingko tree boughs.
The Qin river girl is creating brocade with her loom.
The emerald yarn is mist like, the window hides her words.
Sadly, she stops the shuttle, and thinks of her far off love.
She is lonely here in her room, her tears just like the rain.
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3.) A fully original poem inspired by Li bai’s “Crows Calling at Night”
A Crystal Tear
Sun-gold clouds fade in dimming cerulean
a lone raven’s black eyes stare steadily
loudly cawing, he effortlessly alights
perched in the striking autumn yellow
of the ginkgo’s lovely fanned petals
a lonely woman works in deft rhythm
rich silk gleams taut in her drawloom
she carefully raises the brocade patterns
learned as a child in her Shanxi province
sure hands pull the fine emerald threads
prayer on her lips — she stares far off
a closed window holds fast her whispers
sadly she falls quiet — pauses the shuttle
thinking longingly of her distant lover
wondering — will their lips again touch
she sits alone — unmoving — head turned
a crystal tear falls like a first rain drop
Hidden deep
in the darkest recesses
of my infinite mind
my spiral synapses
like resonant bells
ring with perfect clarity
calling forth enlightenment
revealing the secrets of eternity
on this black velvet night
my brilliance shines
like crazy diamonds
hidden thoughts
soar untethered
ignited
to shine on brightly
illuminating the darkling
mysteries of time
He’s an awkward bird
a two left footed nerd
his attempts to dance
don’t stand any chance
he’s dancin’ everyday
drivin’ folks away
while dancin’ skills are many
he didn’t bother learnin’ any
don’t wanna sound too cruel
but he’s a real dancin’ fool
The great wheel of time
turns ever slow and steadily
its ponderous mass unstoppable
relentless as a steady bear
prowling the forest
or stationed patiently
in a chill mountain stream
ready to snatch a salmon
the prowling
is familiar to me
I understand
the continuous hunt
but patience
that too often
escapes my grasp
as do many salmon
elude the mighty bear
but still
he stays his task
relentlessly
in my imperfect way
I feel I understand
this relentlessness
we both
ride the great wheel
‘round and ’round we go
the bear and I
uncertain in our quests
yet still he flashes his paw
at the ever-leaping prey
in his relentless hope
to finally snag a salmon
so too have I reached out
time and again
with the relentless hope
to grasp the ultimate answer
verifiable evidence
to finally solve
my lifelong mystery
just who am I
how did I get here
where did I come from
who were my birth parents
none easily answered
in our ongoing endeavors
success is not guaranteed
for the bear
nor I
N.B. Still waiting final verification, but it seems my birth mother is Evelyn Tieke and my birth father is Joseph Perrmann. The name first given me is Lawrence Tieke. After 74 years of wondering, and frequently searching unsuccessfully, my daughter solved the mystery last month. Awaiting certification of my original birth certificate.
I wrote the very first draft of this homage to Shel Silverstein 22 years ago — 1999
Where The Sidewalk Ends — Shel Silverstein
From down there, down there,
it’s coming from down there,
that’s where — down there
yes Sis, I swear!
That horrible smell
that’s filling the air,
the one that’s most certainly
impossible to bear,
is coming from that women
with the massive blue hair
sitting alone on the patio chair,
on the deck of the house,
that’s below us — right there!
What a putrid aroma,
you’d think that she’d care,
that there’s simply some things
that one never should share,
like the stink that is rising
from that patio chair,
on the deck of the house
that’s below us — down there.
the smell is outrageous
it’s terribly crass
look, it knocked our poor Rover
right flat on his ass.
And the hideous color
of that mountain of hair —
I can’t help it, can’t help it,
I can’t help but stare.
it’s tangled and horrible
and it’s disgusting too
an eye-blinding nightmarish
shade of bright blue —
and it’s causing a feeling
of nausea too!
I must look away
my heads starting to whirl,
and I feel that my toes
are beginning to curl,
I fear over the edge here
I’m going to hurl —
and I don’t want to do that
in front of a girl.
Maybe I’m wrong
but I would assume,
if one’s going to bathe
in a noxious perfume,
they’d at least have good manners
and exhibit some pride,
and not foul the ozone,
instead — stay inside,
and not be the cause
of such a mind-numbing fume
but keep the eco-disaster
contained in one room.
And if you’re chromatically challenged my friend,
consider the others that you might offend.
A monumentally grotesque rat’s nest of blue,
is not something I care to look at on you!
Look Sis, look look, look quickly down there,
that woman is getting up out of her chair.
oh joy, for joy, that’s all I can say,
thank our lucky stars, she is going away!
I hope away she will stay
for the rest of the day,
or as long as the damned wind
keeps on blowin’ this way.
I see you staring in the door. Welcome. This is The Shoppe of Dreams — I’m Morpheus. I have many types of dreams, so no matter what you desire, you can find it here. Whether you seek a special fantasy, or just some everyday wonder, I do my honest best to have it available. One thing that my shop is well known for — everything here contains an element of truth, even the nightmares.
You seem very curious about this unusual dream I hold here. You can examine it, if you’d like. I designed it as a thing of vivid rarity — oddly dark, constructed of angst, but as strong as youth. This one belongs to Billie Eilish. Not to worry, I do have others
So please, if you are a dreamer, come in, look around. You just might find the exact dream you are looking for.
She is sculpted strength
she is pure balanced grace
head to her amazing toes
a work of athletic art
finely lathed
performance perfection
see the powerful slender neck
the defined sinewy form
of her athlete’s body
tuned muscle
connects tuned muscle
they enwrap the reach
of her strong graceful arms
firmly span her solid shoulders
empower her straightened back
ripple her taught stomach
tapering to a tight waist
down long lithe limber legs
of cut carved precision power
she is stunning
she is breathtaking
she is a prima ballerina
in this moment
she is anxious
but she is also
filled with excitement
she knows she need not be frightened
she knows the fluid moves
sees the precise steps
clearly in her mind
she knows the stride
the position of her body
just before elevation
she understands the speed
the run up
the lead foot
the plant angle
the knee bend
the thrust
she has done this
thousands of repetitions
no need for trepidation
she knows the energy
of the moment
of the crowd
as they anticipate
as she anticipates
the lift off
the rise
the glorious weightlessness
the thrill of flying
the feel of returning to earth
to her toes
she intimately understands
how to offset the momentum
to snap to a graceful stop
come to point
straight and strong
arms raised and extended
she remembers well the applause
that exhilaration
she knows this all
to her bones
she can do this
in her sleep
she has this mastered
she is a master dancer
but?
no!
she squelches the flash of doubt
she grows quiet in her mind
she is ready
she is in the zone
her body is coiled
she hears only the orchestra
there is now only they
and she
with the first note
she leaps
to her joy
to her glory
she is invincible
enraptured
swept up
in the consuming fire
and magnificent fury
of her honed body
in the dance
I watched
as generations
moved forward
as civilization
painstakingly
progressed
set foothold
knowledge
unfolded
slowly
I observed
the millenniums
of human endeavor
as they awakened
to self-reliance
less dependent
on hive mentality
mastering machines
eliminating conflict
striving for truth
ever evolving
I saw
nature
the world
tempered
reshaped
resilient
proud
I stand tall
a mighty tree
heaven’s tether
thrusting skyward
much further indeed
than any rooted thing
the constant sentinel
a perpetual presence
witness to triumph
of the humans
}<:>{
THE NIGHTMARE
I watched
unable to help
so utterly horrified
as generations receded
as empires crumbled
greed ran rampant
wisdom ebbed
civilization
imploded
I observed
millenniums
of human folly
misguided logic
flawed reasoning
poor decisions
ever flailing
stumbling
in a cold
isolated
world
disconnected
from one another
from the environment
serving their machines
serving their avarice
perfecting violence
racing to ruination
becoming aliens
in a mad eden
disillusioned
depraved
diseased
finally
death
took
all
I watched through tears
as the natural world
slowly declined
diminished
withered
scarred
died
…
now
putrid
toxic air
permeates
burnt terrain
to far horizons
and now I stand
thrusting skyward
in this decaying hell
praying for a heaven
the only living thing
the pitiful survivor
the final sentinel
time’s witness
to tragedy
watching
the end
