In Place 33

33

Snow seals heat within;
she steams white rice,
tea and veg to have with
scenes of falling white






The snow helps dampen road noise from nearby civilization. She sits, then gets up to muck about. Before long, thoughts creep in that leave her feeling defeated. "If in sitting one finds no distinctions, where do all these distinctions come from to crowd in as soon as I rise to pour tea?"

Snow besieges my plank door I crowd the stove at night
although this form exists it seems as if it doesn't
I have no idea where the months have gone
every time I turn around another year on earth is over
-- Han-Shan Te-Ching (tr. Red Pine)