Ocean Spring

A Collaboration of Cassa and Lucy

dark clouds gather overhead as the rolling thunder
sets my soul on fire

lightning brings about the spark 
I longed to ignite our flame 

overflowing in the depths of my tempestuous heart 
my inner sense of desire
yearning for the calm waves to wash over me 

ever so gentle rhythmic in unison with my heart beat
the lull of your breathing brings about 
a peaceful and serene plateau of joyous abandonment 

your voice, so quiet and sublime
echos in the distance far from silent ears
nothing measures up to the peace you grant me
the gentle trickle spring you let in 
in painstaking patience
nourishes my weathered heart

unbeknown to you
the frozen particles in my being thaw in your presence
you are the heart and soul of my universe 
your spring overflows my cup 

Overambitious Love

A collaboration with Benjamin Grossman https://benjamin-grossman.com

Her emerald beauty circled his upright being
She stretched her sublime allure to capture the snow
He felt the weight in totality
It exceeded what he could possibly endure

Most days there was a smokey haze between them
And this fog formed uneven walls
With tiny openings just wide enough
To let toxic fumes leak through

In desperation,
she let out her slow poison
He turned himself inside out to survive
But was never the same man as before
Nor she the same woman

They had interwoven
like a tree wrapped in vines
They wanted to thrive under any conditions
That’s what all lovers long to do
Tragically they couldn’t harness the moonlight
Nor grow within the embers of dying flames

50 Shades of Darkness

A collaboration with Instagram Poetess @twinksfly
Do check out her work, amazing talent!

The fossil site was burnt to charcoal long ago
The remain of tar grease smells leathery
Sable branches drape off the ebony
The jet black raven croaks at the inky cloud
Furry spiders find their way into the midnight hollow

Standing tall amongst the ashes – of the dense foliage
That once breathe life, I stare at the smoldering ruin
With ebony flush under solar flashes, from winds that blew hard
The charred skeleton of a home, by standing, barbequing beams’ brewing

The warm evenings where crickets hovered, as the sun set
The ironbark veranda, where the kids giggled, has become a fret
Bush by bush, the fire swept, up to the garden fence
Up to the now charcoal front door, in her embrace I cense

The scent which bloomed through the air from roses red
When the delicate petals danced gaily soaking garden with vibrant colors
Now a tombless tombstone festooned by the wreath of flesh red
Lay witness with a heavy aroma of death of the dreadful summer

And my gaze walks through the charred husk that once was a car
As I remember the loud inferno, overwhelming senses, from afar
Wondering where was a freight train running at this hour
Knowing even if it was by the lake’s edge, it would become char

Every morning, with sun’s first ray, I look at the calves playing on the rubble and say
As the flaring tragedies trail throttles the screams frail
I stand still, a mute spectator of the worst-case scenario of when forecasts fail
It’s going to come again, the skies are still gray, are you counting the day

Furry spiders find their way into the midnight hollow
As the jet black raven croaks at the inky cloud
And sable branches drape off the ebony
While the remains of tar grease smell leathery
This fossil site was burnt to charcoal long ago

The Snow Is My Only Companion

This poem was written by Du Fu who is considered to be one of China’s greatest poets of the Tang dynasty.

Du Fu was born to a minor scholar-official in Henan Province. His mother died while he was young, and an aunt helped raised him.

Du Fu is often described as a poet-historian, and his works convey the emotional impact and import of political and social issues and register a range of private concerns, trials, and dramas. His poems are remarkable for their range of moods as well as contents.

Alan and I worked on the translation together on this piece. You may read more of Alan’s translation work on Chinese, Spanish poetry, own poetry and essays here.

对雪

战哭多新鬼
愁吟独老翁

乱云低薄暮
急雪舞回风

瓢弃樽无绿
炉存火似红

数州消息断
愁坐正书空

After the battle, we mourn for the dead;
I’m old and alone, grief filling my head.

Dark, ominous clouds are filtering down;
The cold wind and snow are swirling around.

There is no wine left in the calabash bowl,
But the stove is still hot from the smoldering coal.

The news cannot reach us from our dearest kin;
I sit down to write, but I cannot begin.

Grieving the Autumn Rains I

This poem was written by Du Fu in 754. He was a Chinese poet and politician of the Tang dynasty.
Alan Steinle (Alan’s work) and I worked on the translation together.

秋雨叹三首 (一)

雨中百草秋烂死
阶下决明颜色鲜
著叶满枝翠羽盖
开花无数黄金钱
凉风萧萧吹汝急
恐汝后时难独立
堂上书生空白头
临风三嗅馨香泣

The grass has decayed from all the rain we’ve seen,
But the cassia below the steps remains bright green.

Your feather-like leaves escaped the autumn showers;
Like golden coins are your many blooming flowers.

You can feel the bitter wind’s persistent attack;
Can your stalk endure the force, or will it crack?

Above the steps, I let down my graying hair;
I smell the fragrant cassia, but I feel despair.

Untied

An effortless collaboration with Ben, do check out his amazing poetry on Instagram Remedy Poems

 

My words are falling
over your collarbone
like loose strands
dipped in charcoal
bleeding through skin
The things you craved
but now regret
Home is a memory
distant and frostbitten
Abandoned
by turquoise hands

close up photo of woman s face
Photo by Chermiti Mohamed on Pexels.com

Writing for the Soul

I have recently written this piece with Ben, whom I share similar way in writing poetry, from the concept beginning lines to the last word fine tune. Do check out his blog Benjamin Grossman

 

I savour your words on my tongue daily
Reading aloud your thoughts and feelings
As if sampling a handcrafted recipe

Words, by their prowess, bring life or death
From yours, I only taste an antidote
Each sentence a mouthful of succulent nourishment
Leafy greens of personification and aromatic spices of diction
Lines of sugar poured over smoldering pages
The flavor of an elite story

Always I crave your expression
Every fibre yearning for your art
Never stop writing
Your every scribble satiates my soul

Beyond Comprehension

A translation of Jun’s poem “未参尽的缘”

 

She is my past, present and future.
She is the incomprehensible fate of my life and death.
She is my beloved book, read and reread.
She is my root, let love grow deep into the ground.
She is my play pet in virtual world, my queen in reality.
Eventually,
I will turn to dust,
disappearing into the sea of her eyes,
grain by grain,
never give up existing.

 

未参尽的缘

她是我的曾经 今世与将来
她是我生与死未參尽的缘
她是我的一本书,掩卷后可再阅
她是我的根,让爱扎进大地
她是我虚拟世界的玩宠又是现实的女神
我终将变成尘埃,
一粒一粒迷进她的眼海,
终将不放松地存在

Romeo and Juliet

This is a poetry and painting collaboration with emerging Sydney Painter Virginia Bucknell

 

Love
demands absolute devotion

The stage
decorated with charisma and wit

Wild possession
seized by concealed undercurrent

Passion
let it downpour in crimson

Death
gravitates towards eternity

 

Oil painting ‘Love Story’ by Virginia Bucknell, you may see more of Virginia’s paintings via: Art Lovers Australia  Weebly   Instagram

Lost Love

An interpretation of Jun’s poem

你总傻呆去想她
青春早过又几载
眼脑心才懂得爱
精神食粮却总缺
徬徨半世总无耐
落花时节更相思

You know the one
The one you once loved so tenderly
Her smile filled your daydreams

When you look back to connect the dots
Your heart leapt for her
Your mind set on ambitions
You eyes were distracted

Now time and place passed
She has long gone
You are hunger for love
You are deprived of spiritual food
You have spent half of your life in wander
Autumn leaves falling in the melancholy of missing her