Poetry Friday is hosted by Tabatha Yeatts here at The Opposite of Indifference! This Friday, Tabatha has a surprise for everyone. Be sure to read her post, then check out everyone else's Friday poetry sharing. Thanks, Tabatha for hosting and for always giving us beautiful words to ponder!Remember that I work at an all-volunteer-run used bookstore, ever a pleasure! Often a book comes along that I enjoy, and here is one. I don't bring them all home. Yikes! My shelves are full already. But I took a picture of the cover and a poem I thought you would enjoy, with illustration! I am so grateful for all those workers in our world this pandemic year who are helping us live our lives as best we can, who often are taking risks, and who are often in need, too.
THE UMBRELLA REPAIR MAN
In the rainy season
the streets and alleys are very damp.
During the weather of genial sunbeams
No one remembers This thin, raw-boned engineer.
In charge of the bent parabolas of umbrella tops,
The most primitive type of thin-shelled construction,
Using the cohesive force of particle for particle,
He perfects the form of tension.
His fuming pipe bowl burns time
Which, borne by natural currents,
coils away and vanishes,
His bygone, rose-colored youth (like the tattered slogan)
Is already hanging in ruins from the ramshackle wall.
The umbrella repair man
Harbor's no rancor or bitterness,
With the toil of his two hands he earns his recompense.
Only the cats and dogs these unassuming animals,
These alone are his true friends.
Chen Min Hwa