Inside Outside
In my son’s room at dusk a firefly floats to the ceiling
I know outside they are rising to the thick canopy
in the backyard where even the night barely gets through
When I walk out the fireflies are re-arranging the constellations
as if they are not sure what shapes to believe in
Here I am at fifty recognizing no shapes of belief but noticing
the vectors of illumination There are crickets
in the high grass near the fence I haven’t had the heart
to cut back in this yard I will not see next spring
Translations from the English 
Wow! Your poetry just gets better and better. How I wish you taught private lessons! Seriously!
If I could just stop learning from your own poetry, Ron, I might think I had something to teach!
You’re very kind and self-effacing, Jeff. I might be able to teach you a few haiku techniques but non-haiku poetry…nah…you Tarzan, me Jane…uhhh…no, was it Boy? *g*
Confucius said, at fifty, one knows what the heavens dictate.
I like that. It’s empowering. Thanks Mary!
…and he said, at sixty, one accepts what the heavens dictate.
Give me another decade to absorb that one.
I love “When I walk out the fireflies are re-arranging the constellations/ as if they are not sure what shapes to believe in.” I possibly identify with them. Terrific poem, Jeff. This one, like so many of yours, just lingers.
Thanks man! It was good to catch up with your latest as well. Spring is turning the corner to full-blown summer here now that the crickets are out.
oh this is wonderful on so many levels. Thank you for posting!
Thanks, I’m glad you visited…
I love this. It brings back so many memories of home and lifts that nostalgia into something more important and profound … I think I’ll go out and rearrange some constellations myself. <3. Thank you for sharing such gorgeous work.
Thanks AW!
Such beautiful and profound poetry, I especialy got taken in by this image:”When I walk out the fireflies are re-arranging the constellations”, but the whole poem is just marvelous.
Thanks O!
(Yay, a new poem!) And it’s comforting to imagine that even fireflies have their doubts now and then…
Reblogged this on Life is But This and commented:
內外
昏暗中在我兒子的房間
一隻螢火蟲升上天花板
我知它們在外面
正在向天棚展翅
黑厚的天
夜也難破
當我步出屋外時
火蟲在重列星座
像它們不信
天宮的安排
五十仍無堅定信仰
但覺察到傳媒啟示
牆邊的長草內藏著蟋蟀
我不忍心在這園內修剪
明年春節
我已不在
(c) Mary Tang
Those vectors will get you every time! Immutable and ever-changing. How to explain them?