Pale daffodils
poor wandering things
the souls of emperors
*
The wind is rising
the shadow of the pine
holds its ground
*
A pin prick—
cardinal singing
in a bare tree
*
The snow unscrolls
for the ancient seals
of children’s shoes
*
Sole dry thing
in the rain-soaked park
an inkling of death
Jee Leong Koh
Jee Leong Koh is the author of Steep Tea (Carcanet), named a Best Book of 2015 by Financial Times and a Finalist by Lambda Literary Awards. He has written three other books of poems and a book of zuihitsu. His work has been translated into Japanese, Chinese, Vietnamese, Russian, and Latvian. Originally from Singapore, he lives in New York City, where he edits the arts blog Singapore Poetry and organizes the biennial Singapore Literature Festival in NYC.
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- Five Haiku - January 23, 2017