Midnight Storm with the I Ching
The pines outside our bedroom
sigh like old men, bearded,
bent at the waist. They speak Mandarin
and toss brass coins, or deftly
count yarrow stalks. I come in
from the storm without a blanket,
believing I can start a fire
with flint & steel, certainly
a match & gasoline. Branches
thrash the eaves. Pine cones
tumble across the patio.
Mourning doves
ride the wind, small eyes
open like slits in stone.
--- Three Pines
The pines outside our bedroom
sigh like old men, bearded,
bent at the waist. They speak Mandarin
and toss brass coins, or deftly
count yarrow stalks. I come in
from the storm without a blanket,
believing I can start a fire
with flint & steel, certainly
a match & gasoline. Branches
thrash the eaves. Pine cones
tumble across the patio.
Mourning doves
ride the wind, small eyes
open like slits in stone.
--- Three Pines