ox herding

walking riverbank -

cicadas whine in night;
footprints in sand:
wandering ox.

girl plays flute
sings lullaby,
stars collide
in ink sky.

ox appears
stomps earth;
girl's flute creases time;
cicadas vanish.

girl rides ox
through fields of flowers;
no direction,
going where?

flowers, stars,
cicadas, sky,
lullaby, ox -
empty circle.

girl drinks tea
no thought
for tomorrow.

(ji bo, 2009)