“Until I left anew,
I did not know what depth of sadness possessed me”
~ Luisa Igloria
until you left i did not know
that the mountain’s stillness had a name,
that this name derived from its
stoic watchfulness as tree after dignified tree
is felled and becomes “more useful”:
bench back scratcher fat fat buddha
of prosperity for taiwanese shops
decorative bulol for landscaped homes
varnished chess boards
for balikbayan relatives
sometimes the mountain caves in,
buries even the innocents,
whoever stands in its way,
angered by mining companies’
intrusions into its innards
and the improbable high-rise
rentals rising out of a quake belt
until you left i did not know
that places we love
we also in the end leave
your lesson is noted:
learn not to look back
like Lot’s wife
In response to Via Negativa: Prodigal Lyric.
Gorgeous poem!