Paula Bohince – I
Deer and Poems
Elegant, without fear, the herd gathers
in gold and silver, doe and buck
together at peaceable rest. The males’
new antlers stroke the lake
as they drink. Cask of water broken
open, relief floods the scene.
To the brushed surface they bow,
honoring their living bodies
and honoring their dead, ephemeral
now as the poems, hung in loose
calligraphy, in an empty place that feels
no wind. Which is eternity.
–after “Deer and Poems” painting by Nonomura Sotatsu, early 17th Century; calligraphy by Hon’ ami Koetsu, 1558-1637, Japan
Elegant, without fear, the herd gathers
in gold and silver, doe and buck
together at peaceable rest. The males’
new antlers stroke the lake
as they drink. Cask of water broken
open, relief floods the scene.
To the brushed surface they bow,
honoring their living bodies
and honoring their dead, ephemeral
now as the poems, hung in loose
calligraphy, in an empty place that feels
no wind. Which is eternity.
–after “Deer and Poems” painting by Nonomura Sotatsu, early 17th Century; calligraphy by Hon’ ami Koetsu, 1558-1637, Japan