For My Students in China
Lilies lull in a pond, tulips line the pathway.
Old sycamores moan in the background,
weathered pines stretch their arms wide,
ancient Gingkoes shade the entrance.
I walk to a small covered shrine, a stone
sitting like Mi Le* among the trees.
Rubbing the stone's smooth belly
I make one final wish before I leave--
“They've sacrificed and suffered much
so leave them their dignity, their dreams
so they can help China restore the pride
and grandeur of past dynasties"
I wait for a sign--It's not by faith
alone. . . We’re promised a sign
But the stone wears its usual mask,
discolored and wrinkled by time.
Scar tissue falls from a line of birches
as their bones strain to stand up straight.
Willow arms obeying nature's moods,
sway with the wind, left then right.
I see my reflection in the placid pond.
"Foolish old man." I whisper my wish
to the old man in the pond, and
toss my wish to the water lilies.
*“Mi Le” means kindness, and is believed to bring
happiness, hope, and brightness to mankind.
Mi Le Fo (Buddha) is well recognized and known
as the Happy Buddha, the Laughing Buddha,
and the Lucky Buddha."