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John Zheng

Side Views

After a weeklong rain, all things cheer up in warm sunlight. A pliant stem of clematis from the neighbor’s yard extends through the cracked fence. It dangles gracefully in breeze as if begging me to give it a long look, but its tiny white flowers are so soft you dare not touch.

     dots of fresh green
     on bare twigs
     of the dying oak
     life goes on
     for another year

Earthworms come out of the damp ground and wriggle on the concrete driveway. A smart robin, which has been patiently waiting by the azalea bush, cocks its head. It skips across the lawn, pecks at a worm, and flaps away. Somewhere a young life waits to be fed.

     a purple burst
     of yard azaleas
     strange enough
     no bumblebees
     buzz this spring

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About the Author

John Zheng has authored Enforced Rustication in the Chinese Cultural Revolution and published haibun and tanka prose in cho, Haibun Today, Southern Quarterly, and Spillway.