Buddha and the Jay
James Reiman
At the peak of the storm
the jay is perched on the head of Buddha
near the corner of the garden
where dry stems of weathered phlox rattle in the wind
coal black eyes penetrate the blinding blizzard
contemplating this precise moment
the shape of every exquisite flake of snow that is falling
is fixed in this moment
frozen and motionless
in the driving snow
against the wind
and the whiteness
lost in the sky
the jay disappears
in a blue grey cloud
*
James Reiman is a writer, poet and musician living in rural Vermont. He recently published a collection of poems entitled "Reflections", soon to be available from Cyberwit Publications. He has performed traditional music in Vermont for many years, and has now focused his creative energies on poetry. He believes in the restorative power of images through words, and that a good poem is a healing prayer.
*