The way to Senkaku

Chinese ships enter Japanese waters over island dispute

The Telegraph, 14 September 2012

The Chinese fleet

at station off his windward bow

the fisherman

squints the salt glare from his eyes

dries his brow with his cap

and orders in the nets.

Addressed by the admiral of the fleet

in staccato accented Japanese

the fisherman confesses

not to know the way to Diao Yu

then quickly suggests

not to detain his guests any longer

than need be, to please enquire at Senkaku

half a day's sail south-west.

(c) 2012 Slush Poet

What is white and spotted

Snow leopards disappearing?

Kuensel, the newspaper of Bhutan, 16 February 2012

All colours are white

but can you not see

a shady outline

in this frame, or that?

Could that dark polished

stone not be an eye,

that crease of pink rock

a bared tongue or bloodied

fang? Yak herders tell

of leopards forming

out of falling snow,

the border shepherds

of snow drifts thinning

out their blue sheep herds

and leaving behind

only red shadows.

At this altitude

so close to Tibet

we are watchful of

our northern neighbours.

Look more closely, tell

me you see leopards.

(c) 2012 Slush Poet

Homs

A veto against the Syrian people

Al-Arabiya News, 8 February 2012

Do not blame

China and Russia

for the carnage their veto

commands:

the spinning bottle

knows no magnetic north.

When the rain in Spain

was bombs

and Britain stared down

the bottle’s throat

we too chose to sit around

on our hands.

Do not honour the fallen

or their sacrifice;

it’s happening over again

in Homs.

(c) 2012 Slush Poet