Chinoiserie
English, French, Italian,
I can write in all of these,
but, at best, they are translations.
I think in Chinese.
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Contemplative, Kay Sage, in English Clear filters
Kaleidoscope
It is only when things are turned
slowly and thoughtfully
that one can see where details
which have no beauty
can go to make a beautiful design.
If you turn anything
fast enough
it is apt to make
a pretty pattern.
Mutation
Do not count on me; I change
much as the moving mountain range.
My premises slide a bit every season,
never for any very good reason.
Literature
We were reading different books
all the time;
we never knew it
until you shut yours
and I shut mine.
We were reading different books;
well, what of it?
You liked yours—
I wrote mine
and I love it.
Autumn
The season is over.
Brown people are beginning to look yellow,
white shoes have been cleaned too often
and white clothes
have not been cleaned often enough.
It is no use pretending
the summer can last forever;
no one wants it to.
We are tired of the sea and sailboats,
we are tired of cold consommé
on terraces,
we are tired of wearing shorts
and of sleeping after lunch.
Let us face the fact
that the days are growing shorter
and the evenings are getting cool.
Seven Men in a Boat at Night
There were five men in a boat
which was rowed by two sailors.
One man lay on his back,
looked at the stars and thought;
how very slowly we are going.
Another man looked at the coast and watched
the lights of a car going along the road.
The third man looked down into the sea
and wondered how deep it was;
he put his hand in the water and thought
it was no cooler than it had been an hour ago.
The fourth man looked at the first man
and thought that he was very foolish.
The fifth man closed his eyes,
yawned, and thought of nothing at all.
The two sailors looked at the five men.
The Window
My room has two doors
and one window.
One door is red and the other is gray.
I cannot open the red door;
the gray door does not interest me.
Having no choice,
I shall lock them both
and look out of the window.
Vintage
When you are old,
if you cannot sit straight
in your rocking chair,
lean back.
If you lean forward,
you will only fall
on your face.
In the Mirror
Do not look
at yourself
always
in the same
mirror.
Destiny
If I turn back
at least I shall not have
the sun in my face.
But then there will always be
the long shadow of myself
before me.
Describe a feeling — we’ll find a poem
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