spring - sending flowers

SENDING FLOWERS FORTH INTO AN ABYSS: A poem by Joshua Bocher

Last updated: March 4th, 2019

“Among hundreds of fragrant blossoms”
The Gateless Gate

“A melon covered with willow leaves”
The Book of Changes

Struggling with himself in agony
All through the night,
He is thoroughly awake
At daybreak
Though the alarm has not yet rung.

Hanging from a branch with his mouth,
His hands cannot grasp a thing.
He has committed himself
And cannot escape.

Deluded enthusiasm
And youthful folly
Have led him to this place.

A voice says to him,
You are a crab in boiling water,
A failure on the spot.
Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

When he hears this,
Countless tears spring forth from his toes.
He tries to strike the moon with a stick,
But the moon has already left the sky.

Both sound and silence
Have been extinguished.

The breaking point nearing,
He sends flowers forth
Into an abyss.

After he blinks his eyes,
He sees a kind face
In the distance.

Having somewhere to go,
Someone still to meet,
Something left to do,
Joy comes softly.

[su_panel background=”#f2f2f2″ color=”#000000″ border=”0px none #ffffff” shadow=”0px 0px 0px #ffffff”]Joshua Bocher is a graduate student at Harvard University, where he does research on Chinese poetry.  His poems have appeared or are forthcoming in Illuminations, Spinozablue, Subliminal Interiors, Full of Crow Poetry and Muddy River Poetry Review.  He lives with his wife in Somerville, MA.


image: Werwin15 (Creative Commons BY-SA)