Cānghǎi lǎoguī mù cǎilóng,
Bìbō shēn chù yǐng chóng chóng.
Suìyuè diāozhuó jiānyìng ké,
Qíng sī wàn lǚ rào xīnfú.
Dōngfēng fú liǔ chūnyì nóng,
Lóngnǚ yānrán xiàoyǔ zhōng.
Yuàn dé bì dì liánhuā gòng.


The Dragon Maiden and the Sea Turtle
The ancient turtle yearns for the vibrant dragon,
In deep blue waves, shadows throng.
Years have carved a hardened shell,
Yet countless love threads his heart compel.
East wind brushes willows, spring's joy thrives,
The dragon maiden smiles, her laughter survives.
May we together share twin lotus lives.

I can hear your voices falling
Up the stairs
Like shadows from the living room
A song stuck in my head
That I can only hum.

When I’m older I’ll remember
Feeling warm and hearing
The music of your laughter
Muffled by the door
And I won’t know the details
But the stories, I’ll remember.

two maybe three times a day the
wave
crashes on the surfer but he's
ready
he's seen the tide he's breathed
it
he's drank it and got it all bubbled
up
in his stomach like me with two
feet
on dry land but at least he's in
halfpipe
dreamland dancing the earthtime
groove
at least he knows what he's in
for
i'll just slalom down this beach
in
my petty thematic way and i'll
kick
over the sandcastles in protest
of
this prima nocta glassdust.

My family walks
  up the steep hill of Brechfa forest
    sandwiches and thermos flask
      in my rucksack.
Rainbow on Akole's back
  Reece runs ahead exploring
      the green cathedral of
        Llanfihangel Rhos Y Corn.
My right eye watches the children
  as my left eye counts
    the habitats
      through a scientific lens.

    Long lived oaks
          slowly grow sturdy hardwood
          invest in the future.
    Hurried hazel
          sprouts and fruits
          feed fleeting squirrels.
    Sad willows bow
          weeping branches
          weave and heal.
    Feathered ash
          grows bark
          houses soft damp moss.
    Deep birch roots
          draw goodness
          recycles minerals.
    Elderly elms
          die from the Dutch pandemic
          dinner for insects and mushrooms.
    Early bluebells’
          royal blue carpet
          welcomes the spring,
    while musky fungi
          extend their network of decay
          repurpose brown leaves.
    Tall pine trees’
          resinous smell
          poisons competition.
    Among woodland's
          gothic arches
          there are many niches
    and even
          in a coniferous forest
          ants build hills.

We sit on a brown earth bank
  take out our picnic.
I stop counting habitats
  to share out
    chocolate biscuits.