Wednesday, 8 August 2007

Issa and the Dog Days of August

5:45 am here in Pittsburgh and it is 79° and as damp as a frog's butt on a lightly submerged lily pad.  Ah, the joys of August in the "big" city.  Searching for some relief, let's turn to the master poet, Issa, after one of whose poems this blog is named.  From the "Modest Proposal Chapbook" of Issa's work, Dusk Lingers, the following:

A foot-high waterfall

splashes

cooling the evening

 

 

- translated by Dennis Maloney

 

Now that's much better, isn't it.  Well, looking for a bit more relief, there are the following little poems from Lillput Review #109 (April 2000) that remind us of the virtues of dampness as well as cooling relief:

in the darkness

beginning to fade--

snow that just sticks

Gary Hotham

 

 

 

First it was raining.

Now it's not.

I can't find the moment

the rain stopped.

 

Albert Huffstickler

 

 

 

mist falls on lilacs

   it is the only motion

this fragrant moment

 

Joan Payne Kincaid

 

 

 

 

steamy room

the tulip petals

spread wide

 

Pamela Miller Ness

 

 

Posted by donw714 at 06:49 EDT | Post Comment | Permalink
Updated: Wednesday, 8 August 2007 11:35 EDT

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