Burning Island

written by


« Reload image

O Wave God who broke through me today 
  Sea Bream
  massive pink and silver
  cool swimming down with me watching 
  staying away from the spear

Volcano belly Keeper who lifted this island
  for our own beaded bodies adornment
  and sprinkles us all with his laugh—
  ash in the eve
  mist, or smoke,
  on the bare high limits—
 underwater lava flows easing to coral
  holes filled with striped feeding swimmers

O Sky Gods cartwheeling
  out of Pacific
  turning rainsqualls over like lids on us 
  then shine on our sodden—
 (scanned out a rainbow today at the 
  cow drinking trough 
  sluicing off
 LAKHS of crystal Buddha Fields 
 right on the hair of the arm!)

Who wavers right now in the bamboo: 
 a half-gone waning moon.
 drank down a bowlful of shochu 
 in praise of Antares
 gazing far up the lanes of Sagittarius
 richest stream of our sky—
 a cup to the center of the galaxy! 
 and let the eyes stray
 right-angling the pitch of the Milky Way: 
 horse-heads rings
 clouds too distant to be
 slide free.
 on the crest of the wave.

Each night
O Earth Mother
 I have wrappt my hand
 over the jut of your cobra-hood
  sleeping; 
 left my ear
All night long by your mouth.

O All
Gods tides capes currents 
Flows and spirals of
 pool and powers—

As we hoe the field
 let sweet potato grow.
And as sit us all down when we may 
To consider the Dharma
 bring with a flower and a glimmer. 
Let us all sleep in peace  together.

Bless Masa and me as we marry 
 at new moon on the crater 
This summer.

VIII 40067

© Gary Snyder