The Lure of the Threshold
The hound is out tonight. It lowers its head and drools in wait for a passer-by.
Threading through the bamboo the summer moon stipples its taut back, silvers the hackles of hair and pools its watching eyes. Across the field a car door clanks, bangs, an empty bottle skittles on the stones.
Footsteps cross the road to the edge of the grove.
The hound sniffs a whiff of tobacco smoke. It paws the ground, whips its tail to and fro.
A red hat and mouth tinged blue in the wan light steps out of the shadows, holds out a bejeweled hand.
Together they climb into the moon.
passing breeze—
white buddleia blooms
spread butterfly wings
Born and raised in the kingdom of Bhutan, Sonam Chhoki is inspired by her father, Sonam Gyamtsho, the architect of Bhutan’s non-monastic modern education. Her Japanese short form poetry has been published in poetry journals and anthologies in Australia, Canada, Germany, Ireland, India, Japan, UK and US and included in the Cultural Olympics 2012 Poetry Parnassus and BBC Radio Scotland Written Word Programme.
This poem was previously published in Haibun Today Volume 7, Number 4, December 2013