Monody to the Murmuring Mountain
Twenty minimeters of pink petals.
Twenty minimetres of stretch and reach
Floral foil, twenty minimeters
Of soil, grass, dew, bush
Sitting in green meditation about
The balance between yin and yang
Myriad of leaves,
Falling down with mists
Of last night approaching – twenty minimeters
Of ethereal presence, kissing
The thick ridges – is the soul
The melody of equanimity?
Insects sloughing off
In chameleon-rhythms.
You stopped as you heard them
Twenty minimeters of dandelions rolling against
The vastness of sky and mountain
~~~
Clefting
Between two high notes
The melody gives a crack
Long enough
To allow my entire selfhood to enter
Like a fish jumping back
Into the night water
Both the fish and I leave no
Trace behind us, and the world
Remains undisturbed as we swim
Deeper and deeper in blue silence
Upon my return, I find the music
Still going on, while the fish has
Disappeared into the unknown
~~~
Yuan Changming published monographs on translation before leaving China. Currently, Yuan lives in Vancouver, where he edits Poetry Pacific with Allen Qing Yuan. Credits include ten Pushcart nominations, Best of the Best Canadian Poetry (2008-17) and BestNewPoemsOnline among others.