Inside the kingdom
lotus buds
taken shape.
There’s no one to force open their fragile lips
no one to pluck them from the still ponds
tearing from leaves spread out
upheld palms
water drops dancing on their embedded lines
while frogs look on enthralled
their green skins fanned by wrinkles
playing on the surface
a slow exhale
and the heartbeat of the pond bed
throbbing
a pulse
so deep
can be heard
inside the very core
of each one of us.