Aunt and Uncle

Old aunt

lights the joss and sticks it in the urns

and burns the paper money

in the large pot outside

spirit bound smoke

sent heavenward

Old uncle kneeling on the ground

shakes the joss toward the baby God

mumbling a low monotonous prayer

under his breath

the ritual fires are burning

the spirit smoke is curling

the ti koay is collecting mold

and ashes from the burnt joss

An old auntie cleans out the tea cups

an old uncle replaces the wilted flowers with new ones

the winds blow through the open windows and doors

the paper lanterns suspended from the ceiling

flutter and twirl and start spinning about

Old aunt is mopping the red tile floors

Old uncle is checking his ledger again

the same rituals quietly performed

a thousand and one times over

only one day or one hundred years

Old uncle is dozing off

Old auntie has gone out to buy something at the market

The dragon slumbers

the phoenix has flown

Seasons

Odd Ends: Perennial Poesy along the Way

2005