Loading...
Loading...
Click here if you don’t see subscription options
Leonard J. CirinoMay 04, 2009

This poem is modeled on one from the Yuan Dynasty, 1279-1368, in The Columbia Book of Chinese Poetry.

Don’t trouble over the moon, keep your back
to the wind. Never count on friends to be on time.
If you must, ask whether it’s night or day.
When you leave, don’t bump into the door.
Keep your teeth in a bowl by your bedside.
During morning walks, don’t look back.
Avoid the sun. Drink when you are happy
but not when you are strained. In the fall
and winter, when it’s raining, swallow your pills.
And in spring, when the flowers open, be sure
to sniff the poppies. If you waste your money
spend it on wine, tobacco, and high-mountain trout.
Avoid spoiled fruit and get rid of your books!

Comments are automatically closed two weeks after an article's initial publication. See our comments policy for more.

The latest from america

A Reflection for the Memorial of St. Athanasius, Bishop and Doctor of the Church, by J.D. Long García
J.D. Long GarcíaApril 30, 2025
A Homily for the Third Sunday of Easter, by Terrance Klein
Terrance KleinApril 30, 2025
In a pre-conclave meeting, an Italian cardinal, and backer of Cardinal Parolin as next pope, attacked Pope Francis for opening positions of responsibility in the church to men and women not in holy orders.
Gerard O’ConnellApril 30, 2025
Michael B. Jordan, left, in “Sinners” (Warner Brothers)
As the film’s title promises, there is plenty of sin on display, even before the vampires arrive.
John DoughertyApril 30, 2025