pine needles
gentle the forest floor
another boy
in a place we could
trust to be safe
Atlas Poetica, 3, Spring 2009
Brian Zimmer
Chinese Translation (Traditional)
松針覆蓋的林地
變得平坦無礙
另一個男孩
安置在一個我們可以信賴
的安全場所
Chinese Translation (Simplified)
松针覆盖的林地
变得平坦无碍
另一个男孩
安置在一个我们可以信赖
的安全场所
Bio Sketch
Brian Zimmer wrote from the banks of the Mississippi River
in St. Louis, Missouri. His work had appeared in various
international print and online journals. He took inspiration from a variety of
sources, including the ancient Japanese poetic-diary (utanikki) and free-form,
poetic "essay" (zuihitsu).
Structured into two parts, the prefatory image of the forest floor covered in pine needles gives refuge to another troubled boy described in the main statement of this middle-of-the-story tanka. This reminds me of the thematic focus of Psalm 46.
ReplyDelete[Mother Nature] is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear,
-- paraphrasing Psalm 46