The Scribbles of a Lonely Traveller

I have been walking
along this winding mountain trail
covered with small pebbles
and fallen leaves
for so long and so far
that I forget where I am now
I can't even recall
why I took this journey
in the first place
The cicadas' love songs
are fervent
as the blazing sun
and all the honey bees are dancing
and singing
around their sweet daisies
But there is no spring for me
Maybe
if I keep trudging on
I'll come across a peach village
embraced by
a winding cool brook
before the sky is painted
pitch black

Ahead of me
only birds' chirping
behind me
autumn's gently breathing
scattered on this shady path
were a few blurry footprints
like missing pages
of some unread stories
My mind was more cloudy
than the evening glow
in the western sky
and my feet soft as a jelly
Longing for a rest
how I envy
those little birds
perching comfortably
in a cozy nest nearby
Perhaps
I should sit in a pavilion
for a while
waiting for the cicadas
to play their finale
for the maple leaves
to turn yellow and float
like falling snowflakes
Perhaps
sooner or later
spring will grace this land
again

A long time ago
at my old hometown
where things went slow
as sloths
there was a small lane
so twisted
that even sunshine
found it hard to squeeze in
At an obscure corner
hid a small store
selling various flowers
of yesterday
Who would've bought
such a bunch
of fading gray
with no hope of tomorrow
if they hadn't been
in deep dismay
those rootless soldiers
having left their home
for so long
and so far away from
their loved ones
due to wars
What else could've been
better comforts
and cheaper
than those senior blossoms

Let's take a walk
if you please
at the beach
at the first streak of sunlight
And throw a glance
at a hermit crab
that' scurrying across the sand
by the boundless immemorial ocean
leaving
only a few traces
erased by the small hands of waves
in no time
along with our footprints
In the distance
there may loom a ship
carrying our dream and hope
as always
at the mercy of pending tempests
If you please
let's take our time
and stroll casually
till the sun sinks in the west
and then relish
the most fantastic moment
in a day
if we could ignore the seagulls
home flying
squawking and wailing

Must be waiting
for someone
special and engaging
on this late night
for you're still standing
on this lonely street
with your eyes dimming
with tears


Revised

A breezy wandering cloud
is more charming
than those serious
and motionless ones
so why not take it easy
Thus
I'm not going
to work as hard as
a full time wordsmith does
but to idle around
like a carefree white crane
If you happen to see me
strolling
in a golden rice field
don't get me wrong
for I'm not gleaning
a few grains
or searching
for some small fish
but relaxing
in the scenic countryside

Time to say goodbye
August
You can take away with you
all the gnawing lusts
together with the nasty locusts
but please
leave bright sunlight
and some green leaves
for us
because who wouldn't wish
to stay young forever
as those lush green trees
in summer

You're a pretty poem
It's refreshing
to read you
in the early morning
At noon
with rosy glows
on your cheeks
you appear so passionate
Against the evening clouds
in the evening
you look so enthralling
In the depth of night
you're no less
mysterious
than enchanting
constantly and forever
changing
like a kaleidoscope
but the only thing
that doesn't change
is your beauty

If your beauty
is a rainbow after the rain
let me bear the pain
in the rain
If you're a butterfly
in flight
let me be the caterpillar
a thorn in the eye
If you're the lovely
morning sunlight
l'm forever ready
to be the lonely night

A small watermelon
I just ate
because I almost
died of thirst
after jogging for one hour
When I was almost
done eating
I started to think
why a watermelon
could be
so sweet and juicy
without enjoying romance
or falling in love
in advance
Perhaps
the only reason
for it to survive
the austerity of life
without fun
is to quench our desire
Perhaps
it has also saved
so many ancient travelers
in the dry desert
in the past
that we're able
to sit here
safe and sound
and talk about it

Having lost the azure sky
to fighter planes
fewer and fewer
migratory wild geese
are able to find their way home
Having lost
the good lands and forests
to high rise buildings
king of the beasts
can't help but live in the zoo
Having lost clean water
to pollution
fewer and fewer rivers of life
are able to survive
Yes
Human beings
you can win them all
for all others are lousy losers

Sigh
How refreshing
this late summer morning
While I'm intoxicated
with the water lily fragrance
a butterfly
coming out of nowhere
graceful
as a young girl
starts hovering
over a pink petal
She's so soaking
in the beauty
she doesn't even notice
I'm sitting by her side
in silence
let alone knowing
that I fancy
she's more charming
than the blossom

The distance between us
is like~~if
you're a pretty romantic cloud
born to wander forever
and ever
then I'm a small rippling river
lying by a meadow
with splashes of yellow
and enjoy singing for you today
as well as tomorrow
Maybe
you're too far away
to savor my lovely melody
but I don't mind
in the least
for once upon a time
you deeply
impressed a charming reflection
on my clear water surface

I see
through my window pane
all is quiet and calm
in a small lane
except for a few birds
singing a psalm
praising
the serenity of autumn
in the afternoon

You don't have to utter a word,
and I know you're poetic
and romantic
as an agreeable breeze.
Whenever you visit,
you paint my world yellow
and purple.
But I hate to admit
you're a bit sentimental,
for the boundless blue sky
you bring,
along with those moody clouds,
is something
I can never obliterate easily
from my memory.