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An Invisible Cocoon

I dislike caterpillars.
They cling to fresh leaves,
as if coming
from nowhere.
Crawling or curling up,
they seldom fear my coming near.

I must confess- I envy them:
Leisurely they nibble the green foliage
with an indifferent look.

I wish to get rid of them,
but I don’t want to touch their droopy bodies.
With a stick, I fling them
one after the other into the air.
Where do they land? In the bushes or on the soil?
I don’t care.
“Good bye!” I wave to the little noodles.

Hot winds blow in the early summer.
I almost forget —
near my garden, under threads,
green and light cocoons dangle,
all wrap in silence.
So they doesn’t bother me,
and I let them be.

On the hottest morning when the air is still
a yellowish pouch drops and cracks.
Something trembles and unfolds.
All of a sudden, wings flutter
and take off.

I only catch a glimpse of a butterfly.
I want to call, “Wait.”
The empty crust rolls aside,
“Too late!” as if a sigh drops upon my own skin.

It won the third place on http://wildamorris.blogspot.com/2010/09/september-2010-challenge-winners.html

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Tammy Ho’s review for Raspberries

A cup of fine tea: Anna Yin’s “Raspberries”

There is not a wasted word in Yin’s “Raspberries”. The poem is a concise exploration of a moment; a modern interpretation of the kind of classical Chinese poems in which a specific scene, thought or feeling is condensed and captured in the most economic way. Yet, despite its focus on a particular instant, Yin’s poem still allows for any number of interpretations.

The poet’s inspiration is clearly nature in this work, and throughout the poem, she uses different natural elements in simple yet powerful images. Read more

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A silent choice

For some reason,
you become my child—
like a heaven tree
conceives her seeds.

Stars and stones,
satisfaction and soreness,
you become the one
shining in my floral cup.

I want to tell you—
besides roots,
wings you grow.

And for this reason,
I let you go.