Sitting on the Steps – a poem by Dharmavadana

Sitting on the Steps


           of my little wooden cabin,
I watch a cloud shrink. The leaves 
           of the hedgerows 
either side of the meadow
           shiver to chattered commands.
Inside, the flames of the gas stove 
           gutter. A moment ago 
the afternoon was clearing. Now 
           more clouds roll up 
like giants’ fists. I hold 
           my own shoulders, 
chilled. Light from the open door 
           falls across the table – 
yellow-white, silver, 
           ash. The kettle rattles, hisses.
What was it
           I was thinking?

Dharmavadana lives in London, UK, where he teaches meditation and creative writing. He is poetry editor of the Buddhist arts magazine Urthona: www.urthona.com. His own poems have appeared in the magazines Prole, Under the Radar, Poetry Salzburg Review, Ambit, The North and The Dawntreader. His short stories have been published in Scribble and Litro.