deep summer

sudden storm fells
a limb of my favorite tree --
years exposed

...

crepe myrtle
hanging heavy in the warmth --
she prances by

city

storm clouds roll in
as my taxi cab
speeds towards them



...

pitted bricks
broken windows
bushes overgrown

balance

a stranger walks by
asking me for some small change --
my eyes say yes



...

taut tightrope between
a life of compassion and
getting what I want

heat wave

walking calmly
in the scorching sun --
my blood boils

...

withering heat --
a cooling draft spills
from the open door

summer morning

lightning bolts
across the
high-rise glass

...

morning light
eking through
a thunderstorm

leaving Bangkok

at a temple
short-haired cat next to its stone likeness:
Siamese twins

...

crossing the date line
one day flows into the next
time begins and ends

contortions

pressure points and pain
white lights behind my eyelids
Thai massage

...

wooden carvings
of contorted figures
forever locked in battle

Thai orchids

mirrors in the bathroom:
one delicate orchid
becomes a garden

...



a purple orchid
placed on my snow-white pillow
sweet dreams lie ahead

oriental city

saffron-clad monk
seeking alms with a brass bowl --
ten baht for peace of mind

...

scent of roasting pork,
pad thai, belching bus fumes, the crowds --
Bangkok awaits

I honor you

on every corner
Buddha smiles calmly on
pilgrims at his feet



...

hands raised in greeting,
a gentle dip of the head,
a smile -- namaste

westward

westward to Asia
I follow the sun on its
endless journey home

...

over Alaska
at thirty-six thousand feet
cloud garden below

special edition/Sonderausgabe: from Bangkok

Buddhist monk walks by
smiling knowingly at the
world that awaits him

...

trees grow in the midst
of traffic jams and smoke --
unexpected nature

off to Thailand; back in a while

beyond the horizon
a land of Buddhas
laden with offerings

...

on the other side
of the world, yet still
in the same place

fresh air

a double sky
punctuated here and there
by lilies on the pond

...

strolling back
from the gallery evening
sweet honeysuckle slippers

celebrations

holiday weekend
fireworks --
acrid smoke drifts

...

another year older
another year of gray hair
another year

white noise

I sit quietly,
quietly, amidst the din
letting it pass by

...

three soft black pillows
on the floor of the quiet room
white noise streams by