Remembering the Mountain Murmuring
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
Yuan Changming grew up in an isolated village, started to learn the English alphabet at age nineteen and published monographs on translation before leaving China. With a Canadian PhD in English, Yuan currently edits Poetry Pacific with Allen Yuan in Vancouver. Credits include eleven Pushcart nominations, nine chapbooks & awards, as well as publications in Best of the Best Canadian Poetry (2008-17), & BestNewPoemsOnline, among 1,809 others across 46 countries.
This poem was originally published in Vallum issue 15:1 Memory and Loss.
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