After Snow

From Still Life, Three Worlds by Dai Pan (潘岱). Poem 11.

I cannot say, as snow fell.

Perhaps tomorrow, ice will glaze,
As a frozen shimmer lost in haze.
Who'd say it's from the fish store on streets?

Paper scraps upon the table sway,
Dried strands of hair beside the bed remain,
Cotton filling in the quilt trash can,
And snow beyond the window's frosted pane.

After teacups empty, losses rise,
Moments slipping before our eyes.

I watch the city shrouded in the mist,
From mountains. Lights dance and persist.

Cite as: Dai Pan, "After Snow," Three Worlds, Still Life, poem 11, 2025. https://daipan.ink/still-life/after-snow

Still Life 11

After Snow

I cannot say, as snow fell.

Perhaps tomorrow, ice will glaze,
As a frozen shimmer lost in haze.
Who'd say it's // from the fish store on streets?

Paper scraps upon the table sway,
Dried strands of hair // beside the bed remain,
Cotton filling in the quilt trash can,
And snow beyond the window's frosted pane.

After teacups empty, losses rise,
Moments slipping before our eyes.

I watch the city shrouded // in the mist,
From mountains. Lights dance and persist.