Letter from Insomnia
Accepting Li Po’s tragedy,
apocryphal or not,
we embrace her imperfect
reflection
rippling in the breeze,
but manage to surface.
I once thought I would name a child Luna
and she would glow at night
and like Hendrix, kiss the sky.
But that was whimsy
and only candles light this room
at this hour
on this particular day
in this year of the snake.
And what fool would reach for a stone orbiting at
1,023 meters per second?
There are clouds to consider, the stars
and the scattering rain
and of course wine
and the possibilities within each glass
and the drops therein.
We must discuss these matters
under her gaze, where smallness gathers.
* * *
This originally appeared in Middle Gray in October, 2013. It was written in response to a poem my friend Michael sent me, replying to this poem.
O at the Edges 
Very beautiful
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Thank you, Beth.
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Love Li Po! And Iove this new poem of yours. “…under her gaze, where smallness gathers”–brilliant!
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Thanks very much.
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Pleasurable read … as we all settle in for a spell, contemplating the moon, wine, candles … great model you’ve presented! (And yes, hands off the physical moon!)
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We have indeed settled in. All we need now is the moon!
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That photo is the pagoda at Shinsouji Temple Complex. My judo coach was a Shingon Buddhist and we went to Wakayama a lot, so we met priests and lay Buddhists coming down from there occasionally. It is hard to explain how wonderful it is to watch the moon rise over temples in Japan while sitting there with a belly full of fantastic vegetarian Buddhist food, but this photo captures the whole scene pretty well. Three cheers for Fudou Myouou!
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I don’t recall why I chose that particular photo, except that it captured a moment that seemed to mirror feelings stirred up in/by the poem. I like the additional connections.
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Tokyo itself is a giant international city and doesn’t feel any more Japanese than Paris does “France” and New York “America”. They are such huge, international cities they are essentially states unto themselves. That being said, the various temples like the one above, and cities around and away from Tokyo in the Kanto region, are where the real magic lies. Of course, most of the Kanto Region is considered a part of the Capitol Area, so even the prefectures and cities that are not part of Tokyo are still part of Tokyo’s direct influence. Tokyo is so huge you can be living in Tempe, Arizona and still be considered to be a part of the Greater Tokyo Area!
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Tempe, Tokyo. What’s the difference?
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About a half a bottle of whiskey…
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