#ocean of clouds

[smokefalls]

… give more to the quiet of selfless meditation, / the dream-work of dwelling in numinous mysteries and not explanation,

Garrett Hongo, "The Surfaces of the Sea" from Ocean of Clouds

[aaknopf]

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SELF-PORTRAIT : JUST MY IMAGINATION

In the college dorm room, I sit cross-­ legged on the floor, Scripting ideograms on notebook pages, Practicing kanji, sipping Mateus from a teacup Blazed with coppery red dragons with golden eyes. Barefoot, I wear jeans and a plain white tee, And bend from the waist to do this steady work. Motown plays from the stereo—­ the Temps Crooning a cool tune—­ and a rhythm slowly builds, A sinuous pulse of wordless feeling, a guide for phrasing, And the images rise, recollections from childhood, The scents of the past, the chant of tides from the sea, A garland of cigarette smoke curling through household air, My grandfather dealing flower cards before him on the floor: The first plum blossoms bursting from a black bough, Yellow butterflies ringed around peonies, a white heron Poised between twin pines before a pink cascade of sakura. Legacy is like this—­ insinuations, stray images Collecting in the mind stilled from passion, Fundaments persisting in our waking dreams. I move the cup aside, shimmering with wine. Left to right, I gather strophes with a pen, From a swirl of flowers, trail of ideograms . . . Running away with me . . . tell you, once again . . .

[untamedessence]

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[cheapphilosophy-blog1]

[smokefalls]

I’ve a fear of pure poetry sometimes, / the immaculate peace of it,

Garrett Hongo, "The Surfaces of the Sea" from Ocean of Clouds

[smokefalls]

The indigoed night precedes the hydrangea blue of day.

Garrett Hongo, "Figura: Homage to Erich Auerbach" from Ocean of Clouds

[smokefalls]

… through tides and shallows glittering with the night’s cascade / I still wear as a mantle of stars and warm rain dancing me into the next silver decade.

Garrett Hongo, "The Night's Cascade" from Ocean of Clouds