Kanda River (Glen Snyder)

Glen Snyder was struck by the beauty of the Kanda River when he visited Tokyo.

kanda river, tokyo,
april, 2007:

sparrows dart confidently through
this blizzard of returning warmth
nipping at cherry blossoms
and dabbing their beaks
in stamen nectar and pollen.
fallen petals drift
oblivious and silent pink
down the clear waters
past the dark channeled banks
of the kanda.
black and yellow koi look
straight up at the sky
penetrating the reflections
of all of our faces.
we are as pink and softened
as the falling petals.
our eyes are the
fish-eye reflections of the sun
drunken with
the flushed afternoon light
our eyes are the
fish tails and current
in unison with the breeze,
the breeze that is
the gentle waving motions
of flower-laden boughs.
the boughs that are like
softly flapping banners.
it is the one unsettling moment
that the pigeons and i
look for our places
circling out and in of all of it
lost in petal clouds of spring flight
still not sure quite where to light.