In Place 10

10

Books, lamp, her mother's desk,
a small cot from which, lying down,
she may observe trilling leaves
of spring and fall cottonwoods

As of 2018, most of the books are studies of women in Buddhism and some books by Eihei Dogen, Hongzhi, Shunryu Suzuki, Kosho Uchiyama, Ryokan, Red Pine, Shiwu (Stonehouse) and Han Shan (Cold Mountain), along with several collections of Chinese poetry translated by Kenneth Rexroth. The collection changes as the old woman's studies change. From the cot there is an especially intriguing view of young cottonwood and ash trees just across the small creek.

In my hut, I listen to the evening rain
and stretch my legs without a care in the world.
-- Ryokan (tr. Abé and Haskel)