Essays: Waiting for Rain
Waiting for rain
A cluster of trees, (tiānzǐ jiān) –, leaning on their toes, longing for rain
Eyes scanning the expanse between heaven and earth
August's autumn clouds lingering in the South Pacific rainforests
Lost in the fragrant breeze of Samoa
(Qīng Hé) – Qīng Hé, listening to the melancholy tune of the wind, with lowered eyebrows
The sun shifts its gaze to another direction
Yellow leaves rustling, whispering of a poignant sadness
Clutching at the throat of the clouds
Waiting for rain
Grape vines slumped against the wall
Lost in a vacant stare, filled with wistful longing
Moss, frail and green, clinging to a crumbling platform
The last exhalation of autumn's fragrance
The withered veins of a lonely pond
The voiceless murmurs of swimming fish
Silent corridors, gray and motionless
Two beggars, arguing endlessly with their straw hats and ragged shawls
Waiting for rain
Flags on the temple altar, still and unmoving
Fragile incense sticks, unable to raise their weak arms
The air crackles and pops in the searing sunlight
The earth tears itself apart, like a crazed dog gnawing at flesh
White clouds slumber peacefully in the blue sky, lost in dreamy reverie
A heart as empty as a desert, holding no drop of compassion
Look,
Plum blossoms aren't green, they don't awaken
Thunder and lightning don't rumble, they don't startle
Author: Zhou Zuoren
