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Paula Bohince – II

Monkey and Wasp 

 

 

In a column of near-

nothingness, the monkey sits

in wonderment, head tipped back

as a child’s often is.

Above him, the wasp spins—

obscure, beyond reach—

fairy of flight and sting,

delighting the primate, his almost-

human eyes unblinking.

A loose fist betrays his wish

to catch and keep awhile the tiny

other, to rock that noise

in his palm’s small cradle.

 

 

–after “Monkey and Wasp” by Mori Sosen, 1747-1821, Japan

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