My favorite scenery, abrupt
and shaded, the trail wrestling
past the Night-Weeping Stone.
This marks the spot where bandits
killed a pregnant woman, spilling
her blood on the stone. It weeps
every night in her memory.
The goddess Kannon in priestly
guise rescued the unborn child,
who later avenged the murder.
I don’t want to linger after dark
and hear that ghostly sorrow,
but I like the scenery and legend
and the trail sloping so abruptly
I almost have to crawl on all fours.
William Doreski has published three critical studies and several collections of poetry. His poetry, essays, and reviews have appeared in many print and online journals. He has taught writing and literature at Emerson, Goddard, Boston University, and Keene State College. His most recent book is A Black River, A Dark Fall.
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