Two short poems

By X. Z. Shao

A leaf of a king coconut tree

A leaf of a king coconut tree

dropped off from its towering top,
without any sign of warning,
a few feet in front of me
and tumbled like a giant
before it lay silent.


The violent rustling of leaves

The violent rustling of leaves
in a haunted woods
in an impending storm
under an overcast sky
is enough to make your hairs stand,
but the swaying trees,
the running away of the timid,
the heaving of nature,
the seriousness of the lake surface
with waterfowls
making somersaults on it
are a rare scene
for a mind calm and settled.

           2015/4/25