Symphony: A Solo Shisan

The last weeks of spring,
The faded rhododendron
And tall, uncut grass

In the vacant lot beside
The new condominiums

He inspects the plans,
Completed just yesterday,
For a new strip-mall

***
Twenty thousand years from now
The river will change its course

A few Hawthorne trees
Blooming in the afternoon
Of the July heat

"I can't explain it," she says.
"I just like being with him."

***
In the large lobby
Of the new office building
Coming and going

Once a year five friends gather
To hike the low-lying hills

Under the jade light
Of the full, or nearly full,
Slowly drifting moon

***
He washes all the dishes
While gazing out the window

To the neighbor's house
At the thinly falling snow
As some music plays

From the just purchased cd
A sun-dappled symphony