Chen-ou Liu

Breath

slanted sunlight
through the window
reading jisei

My father doesn't talk about death because he cares more about leaving behind a good reputation. My mother is skilled at evading death-talk because she is afraid of severing the ties with her loved ones. My older brother doesn't care about death because he thinks he is strong enough to face all challenges head on and head strong. My younger brother doesn't mention death at all because he is busy enjoying life, here and now. I often think about death.

first sunrise . . .
pulling out a patch
of gray hair

Note: Jisei is the farewell-poem of a poet/samurai/zen monk before his death.