I look at a peacock fly by the window, and I wait⁣⁣
His senior tells him to push harder⁣⁣
He pauses long before he replies⁣⁣
smiles before he sees me⁣⁣
enters the room so warmly⁣⁣
⁣⁣
He is negotiating with me⁣⁣
The number between us⁣⁣
like a question⁣⁣
neither of us wants to answer first⁣⁣
⁣⁣
Then he pauses⁣⁣
not from weakness⁣⁣
but from somewhere⁣⁣
The corporate boss cannot follow⁣⁣
⁣⁣
His eyes catch the peacock’s green
amidst the grey concrete towers⁣⁣
he comes back in a moment⁣⁣
that felt like eternity⁣⁣
to a room that forgot eternity existed⁣⁣
⁣⁣
We both look at each ⁣⁣
a connection we both can’t name⁣⁣
then he names his price⁣⁣
I say yes⁣⁣
before I know why⁣⁣
⁣
The peacock flew out of sight
only after we shook hands⁣
It had done its job⁣
We both saw the shrine⁣
⁣⁣

NaPoWriMo Day 17 – And now for our (optional) prompt! Sergio Raimondi’s poem, “Today Matsuo Basho Cooks,” plays on the following haiku by (you guessed it), Matsuo Basho:

Crimson pepper pod!
Add two pairs of wings, and look—
darting dragonfly.

For today’s challenge, write a poem in which you respond to a favorite poem by another poet.

My poem is a response to the silent monk of the mountains, where I meet the monk in a glimpse of shared moments. The poem is about the shared moment where we both notice something ethereal like a peacock flying in the cityscape.