Poems by George Freek

THE TERRACE IN THE SNOW (After SU TUNG PO)

Rain falls like threads of silk,
then turns to snow,
piling up through the night.
At dawn, crows circle
the icy fields, finding
nothing to eat.
They stare at me.
They wish I were lying
dead in the street.
Only a month ago,
flowers grew here.
Icicles now hang
from rusty eaves.
I look at the moon.
It fills me with grief.

AN AFTERNOON FISHING (After LU YU)

The pond shines like a mirror.
It reflects a perfect sky.
A lark ascends out
of sight. How fast
it disappears, a matter of
seconds, not years.
But such thoughts are
a waste of time.
I reel in my line.
Tonight, I’ll drink wine,
and make love to my wife.
Do the stars see us?
What do the stars know
of human strife?
Questions without answers
can destroy one’s life.

THE MOON AT LAKE PLACID (After LU YU)

The sky becomes a hole
the stars fall into.
It is an emptiness
that can never be filled.
Trees shiver as if with a chill.
Branches crack
in the freezing wind.
The moon is
a bloodshot eye,
that slowly closes,
until it disappears.
I’ve now turned seventy.
Leaves fall at my feet.
Is it the winter, or
something else approaching,
that I really fear?