Dreams Are Lavish Gifts
Nepal / another November
gray hair grayer in pictures
than seen in the mirror
I open my eyes to see
the moss on the flowerpot
later help the orange vendor
push his cart up the hill
tanned / obscured by a covid mask /
mistaken for being nepali / by a nepali /
our laughter rolls/ his and mine
rinpoche ties a mantra into the red string’s knot
suddenly how small
the old kingdom seems
from the mountaintop
Michael G. Smith, Bozeman, MT, is a chemist. His poetry has been published in many literary journals. His books include No Small Things and Flip Flop, a collection of haiku co-written with Miriam Sagan. He volunteers at the local food bank and at a school in Kathmandu, Nepal.
See more of his work in 11.1 and 11.1 and 10.2 and and 9.2 and 9.2