Nature

San Francisco

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sf
~ photo by Jared Erondu

San Francisco
by Jenny Katherine Luu

I travel to the bay
on a beetle with yellow eyes
and a red tail,
through rivers of red and gold,
and rolling waves of cement…
I approach the man-made forest.

A thousand tree trunks
rise into the sky.
They’re only five feet apart,
barely space to walk,
barely space to breathe.

An elegant beauty where
a thousand tree trunks
are lit by fireflies
in the dark blue sky.

People, like squirrels, live in the trees.
People, like ants, swarm at the base.
I, like a fluttering bird,
watch mesmerized
at the organized chaos
between squirrel and ant
co-existing in the crowded forest.

Kamikochi

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Breathing in the fresh mountain air,
I absorb the landscape before me.
Standing tall beneath the wispy clouds,
the mountain embraces the river.
Sandy brown, granite gray,
with streams of white pebbles
flowing down the slopes.

Flowing to
a richer part of the mountain
covered with yellow-green grass,
surrounded by auburn trees,
next to the white pebble beach
by the blue-green water.
The sun shines throughout.

Standing on Kappa Bridge,
I look dull in comparison,
for I am only one color,
the color of my skin.
However, when standing next
to my brothers and sisters
from all over the world,
we are also part of nature’s beauty,
varying colors standing together,
living in harmony.

IMG_0192_sm

Walking in the Kyoto Countryside

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It’s been a while since I posted a poem as I have been very busy with life.  Now that things are settling down, I was able to write a poem based on some of the photos I took on my vacation to Japan.  I hope you enjoy it.

Walking in the Kyoto Countryside
by Jenny Katherine Luu

Wet soles walk
on a winding path
surrounded by weeds.
Footsteps washed away
by the pouring rain

Wind sings
with the rain.
Rain dances
on the umbrella,
on our faces,
on our bodies,
on the ground.

Rain falls
like jewels,
as we hop
to avoid puddles
reflecting
our soles.

Weeds, they waver
in the wind.
Raindrops cling to weed,
sparkling in the sun,
like lovers
afraid to let go,
like teardrops
about to fall
from the lid
of the eye.

In the distance, I see
a marshland, showered
with rain,
and a wooden bridge
with many legs
like a centipede,
extending farther
than the eye could see.

Washed with rain,
the bridge glistens
in the sun,
as if the surface
were covered with sweat
from bearing the weight
of all who crossed.

She wears a cotton hat.
She rides her bike
across the bridge.
I watch
as she passes me.

Here in the country,
there is no sound
but wind and rain,
no concept of time,
just you and me.

I watch the Earth.
I watch the grass.
I watch the rain.
I witness life.

kyoto-country

Frienemy

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I haven’t been writing much these days, so in order to inspire myself to pick up a pen and write, I have decided to spend some time with The Poet’s Companion.  If you haven’t heard of this book, I highly recommend that you check it out.  It was a book that I bought for a college poetry class and it teaches you different writing techniques, and at the end of each chapter, it provides you with a list of writing exercises.  Every time you revisit the book, you are bound to write something new, as your thoughts, experiences and perspectives will change over time 🙂

I read the first chapter yesterday and did the first exercise, which was to list out memorable events from your life (big or small) and write a poem about it.  I ended up with this poem.

Frienemy

They run in a frenzy
from the cement to the grass,
from the grass to the cement.

A blur of black and white rushes
past you as fur brushes
against your leg.

Paw scrapes against cement.
You see a tuft of cotton
in his canine mouth.
Your heart skips
a beat.

Snow white fur,
no signs of blood,
but could he?
Would he…
take a life?

The chase continues –
Happy inches away,
just inches away,
from Hopper.

Exhausted,
Hopper collapses
in the wet grass.

Happy pounces…
his two front paws,
a mix of brown and black
over Hopper’s white body.

Content at his victory,
he simply lies there,
listening to the bird’s chirp.

The wind rustles their hair.
What a beautiful day…
with a frienemy.

Image from Google
Image from Google