February 24, 2019

Three Poems by George Freek: "When death Comes", "A Wedding Anniversary" and "Weariness"

George Freek is a poet/playwright living in Belvidere, IL. His poetry has recently appeared in 'Carcinogenic Poetry'; 'The Tipton Poetry Review'; 'The Adelaide Review'; and 'Big Windows Review'. His plays are published by Playscripts, Inc.; Lazy Bee Scripts; and Off The Wall Plays.

The poems here were inspired by classical Chinese poets.



Liao Dynasty (907-1125) tomb mural



When Death Comes
(After Mei Yao Chen)

Winters grip is relentless.
An icy wind cracks the frozen trees.
Their once colorful leaves
are buried under a foot of snow.
Everything speaks of solitude
and loneliness. For centuries,
men have felt the way I do now,
but knowing that doesn’t help.
With a sharp, surgical blade,
my guts have been removed.
I can feel the hole it made.
I take no interest in combing my hair,
or tying my worn out shoes.
I gaze at the moon and the stars.
In their far off world,
they look safe and secure.
But they, too, are fragile at best.




A Wedding Anniversary

(After Mei Yao Chen)

I open my windows
to let in the spring air.
Birds have returned.
Almost overnight, flowers
are suddenly there.
The sun rises slowly,
like a woman climbing
from her bed. Was it
like that the day we wed?
The wind is a harp
singing in the trees.
I have invited friends
to drink some wine,
and celebrate our wedding,
as we did, wife,
when you were still alive.




WEARINESS
(After Tu Fu)

I’ve grown weary of snow,
of looking at dead trees,
weary of the moon,
which looks as if
it has a mortal disease.
Crows sit in branches
gazing at my bones.
I am now alone.
My friends have left me.
My wife is dead.
I watch the sun set
on my dilapidated home.
I stare down a road,
which leads nowhere,
and sink into my bed.


George Freek

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