Hungry for ideas -
a fish dish would help,
an unhinged arm's length away,
way over the Yangtze River,
where, far from the nearest eyeball,
drunken cormorants dive
for silverplated carp.
Alas, any old iron skillet
will not fit this oily range,
I will have to cowboy it,
first, beans and baby powder
to talcum my muffins
while I break-in some roughhewn chaps,
then to rodeo this coal-black cooker,
as I lasso a China man,
a wise angler who knows how to catch,
the natural gas of an angry Puffer Fish.
Categories:
yangtze, poetry,
Form: Free verse
floating down the Yangtze
many new sights I do see
happy fishermen wave to me
bass jump out of this China sea
I hum and sing we be de we
dum diddle dum diddle dee dee dee
I love the feeling of being free
as I glide my way down the Yangtze
Categories:
yangtze, travel,
Form: Free verse
after Ho Chi Minh
I
The stone basin holds
still water. The still water
drinks the arid sponge
as rays of pure energy
slake their thirst on
the ebon wings of crows
II
Yangtze flows from widows peak
pooling briefly in the lock
of a tired eye. Dirt
and salt cry brackish tears
before leaping from sallow chin,
like rain from languid boughs
III
Frogs turn dirges beyond
translucent glass, their croaks
fold and crease the air
putting dusk on the shelf.
Aphids eat the pithy stalks
and drown in sudden morning dew.
IV
No callused hand washes
in the same basin twice
V
The kettle boils, pallid
phantoms push through iron
walls. Prescient tea leaves show
time’s current—fish swim
upstream. Two worlds away,
a young girl draws a bath.
VI
Forehead donning liquid rosaries,
each dawn anoints a king anew
Each afternoon, grains of rice
cling to one another, fulfilled.
Ink spills quickly each evening,
the white page laps at pitch waters.
VII
Eleemosynary sunlight burns
through the keyhole, tumblers
click in the lock. The stone basin
is once again filled with still water.
Categories:
yangtze, imagery, prison,
Form: Free verse
Welcome to China’s gorgeous Yangtze River
third largest river in the world
rising at Jari Hill
in the Tanggula Mountains
christianed Quian by Marco Polo
seventeen hundreds renamed Blue River
Categories:
yangtze, vacation,
Form: Free verse
I carve and cut my quarters from a cork tree
Intermittently pausing to assess my progress
Young yet yellowing Yggdrasil on the Yangtze
Getting grander but perishing in the process
Good God gaze at this gape and give a guarantee
Don't let me regress, digress, transgress, or obsess
4-17-2020
Categories:
yangtze, allegory, god, metaphor, peace,
Form: Rhyme
In the Hubei province of China central,
Is a city which is regal.
On the banks of the Yangtze mighty,
A busy hub for trade, basking in glory.
Wuhan is the name, known to many,
Is now in the news for ignominy.
A malicious virus named NovelCorona,
Is having an outbreak sourced from its fauna.
SoS from WHO lists it an epidemic,
But it has the ability to become a pandemic.
While existing treatments were not effective,
The deadly virus still can't be held captive.
Quite a number of people are dead,
And a sizeable number have fled.
Those who remain are home, confined,
Mentally devastated and justly terrified.
It's time we stand by them, in solidarity,
Bolster them with confidence, instead of showing pity.
Let them know we all are brothers in arm,
No creature on this earth can cause you any harm.
We'll tide by the crisis, as we have done before,
Keep your hope floating, for near is the shore.
Categories:
yangtze, death, life,
Form: I do not know?
I know of, and I rest in awe of the illimitable greatness of the river Congo, and the Yangtze.
I know of and I rest in awe of the brilliance and grandeur of Mt. Everest and Mt. Speke.
I know of and I rest in awe of the beauty of the Aurora borealis and the hop-skip terpsichore of the wallaby.
I know of and I rest in awe of the splendour of the sun setting in the fall sky, casting its aluminiferous orange and gold rays over the descending life of the maple, elm, birch, oak, and the willow tree, and projecting it"s image over the vast sea.
I know of and I rest in awe of the magnificence of Giza Necropolis, the Great Wall of China, the Taj Mahal, the Grand Canyon, Machu Picchu, the Galapagos Islands, and Serengeti.
I know of and I rest in awe, as an awe-inspiring tears run down my face at the strength and the greatness I envision with daylight reverie. The reverence of your sepia beauty, your hair; the effulgence of a raven's plume. The grace and unworldly wisdom of you, my grand-girl, my little Nhandi,
copyright 2007
Categories:
yangtze, granddaughter,
Form: Free verse
Quayside bazaar
Odd artifacts;
Trinkets to go
~~~~~~~~~
Poignant tune
Old memories flood;
Trip to yesterday
~~~~~~~~~
Airport arrival
Homecoming route;
Mid-afternoon buzz
~~~~~~~~~
Laundry lady
Dry cleaning job;
Helpful hints
~~~~~~~~~
Sleepy hangover
My mother's voice;
Dreamy interlude
~~~~~~~~~
Old giant rubber tree
Huge monolith;
Treasured monument
~~~~~~~~~
Abrupt torrential rain
Misty blur ooze;
Traffic congestion
~~~~~~~~~
Newspaper headline
Yangtze River mishap;
Death by drowning
~~~~~~~~~
Mailbox arrivals
Big brown envelope;
Prize-winning certificates
~~~~~~~~
Busy arrival hall
Airport crowds loiter;
Familiar faces
~~~~~~~~~
Fruit shoppe offerings
Delicious temptations;
Colourful range
~~~~~~~~~
Leon Enriquez
04 June 2015
Singapore
Categories:
yangtze, change,
Form: Haiku
Flow mighty rivers, what all have you seen
Rise and fall of empires, string of storied kings
As veins carry blood, you give Earth its life
Carving the landscape as if done by a knife
Ancient, so ancient, much older than man
Incredible show of Gods mighty hand
Oh Nile and Amazon, visions so vivid
What secrets you keep alongside the pyramids
Yangtze and Yellow, through China you flow
Fog and mist rising, light and shadow aglow
OB-Irtysh, Lena and Yenisey too
Through grand scenic Russia, mysteries come into view
Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio you carry
Life giving waters, beside you we tarry
The vanity of man, tis he gives you names
creating boundaries, staking his claims
How much blood has been spilled, along sacred shores
Man wants all you can give, and then he wants more
You were here long before him, and will flow when he's gone
Still rushing and rippling your beautiful songs
Reflections of Sun and of Moon on your face
Inspire our souls with power and grace
We've drank and bathed, and cried on your shores
We've polluted and dumped, filling your pores
Please forgive us our trespass, in time we will go
Still rivers, grand ancient rivers will continue to flow
Categories:
yangtze, nature,
Form: Rhyme
A year ago the Yangtze River Dolphin was declared extinct.
In Memoriam: The Yangtze River Dolphin
November sunset --
Quickly does the evening fall
Upon the village.
The Yangtze River still flows
Past the fossils on the shore.
Categories:
yangtze, natureriver, , In Memoriam,
Form: Tanka