Warmth of July

Warmth of July

At dusk
while fireflies glow like woven
golden threads upon a cloak
of imperceptible periwinkle,
honeysuckle
intermingles with magnolia
and lavender fragrances —

frogs croak,
intoxicated by beauty
of lotus white blossoms,
join the orchestra of children’s laughter
as barefoot feet
tiptoe
upon crust of earth
and teeming grass —

warmth of July
when for a season’s moment
all is green and ardent
under the ancient sun.

D. G. Vachal © 2023

Photography by Felix Mittermeier

Gyoza and Broken Hearts

Gyoza and Broken Hearts

Graduate school
econometrics
cryptic
to my right-leaning brain,
when in my puzzlement
an angel descended
from distant constellations —

a comely Adonis,
face sculpted
by Jirisan mountain
winds,
eyes and lips suspended
in a perpetual smile  —

He took my hand,
showed me how to
solve equations
step by step,
pencil strokes on the offensive,
neglecting fear of failure to find
proofs of theorems —

In interweaving moments
he would prepare
gyoza,
chopsticks on teflon,
our measly meal—

Tonight
I cook gyoza the way          
he taught me,
a different life, no more
theorems to prove —

I recall from long ago
a time of heartbreak
while parting ways
for another love.

D. G. Vachal © 2023

A Longing

A Longing

palpable as hunger
and thirst for river waters —

to return to a place,
search for a face
distilled
in sapphire oceans,
await a voice
deep and tonal,
my evening song —

another winter melts
in purple crocuses,
golden
daffodils hasten in their blooming,
grass turns emerald
green again  —

I ponder upon
this haunting longing,
smile with fought-back tears
and I walk on.

D. G. Vachal © 2023

Image by Frauke Riether from Pixabay




Come Sit With Me Awhile

Come Sit With Me Awhile

for tomorrow
I must tend
to hearth-fires for warmth,
the spinning loom for clothing,
and bread-flour for hunger —

awhile

amidst emerald moments
while lemon blossoms glow
from topaz to gold
and cloud-like egrets
hasten on their wings
to strings
of violin marsh-winds,  
alight
upon the infinite green —

awhile

when time stands still,
seasons compress to moments
no matter the scorching heat,
no matter the numbing cold —

come sit with me awhile.


© D. G. Vachal 2023

*** photograph by Adriansart @ pixabay