Missing

From Bless You, Three Worlds by Dai Pan (潘岱). Poem 10.

White wings, dark hands,
Halos, fresh flowers, blue lotus robes,
Only a face, missing.

Colored glass, windows, cracks,
Round domes, Roman style,
Surrounded by rock, infused with faith,
From all sides.

Arranged, the missing of humanity.
Dedicated to the clearest eyes under the sun,
Bedside, worshippers at the door,
In a voice only you can hear,

Living in our solid house,
Dreaming of modern
Where art is missing.
That's it, stepping out from a classical mural.

Damp feet step into the newly plowed soil of the garden,
Trampling seeds, singing, for one's own name,
Existing for the sake of existing, emptiness,
The existence of lost faith.

Cite as: Dai Pan, "Missing," Three Worlds, Bless You, poem 10, 2025. https://daipan.ink/bless-you/missing

Bless You 10

Missing

White wings, dark hands,
Halos, fresh flowers, // blue lotus robes,
Only a face, missing.

Colored glass, windows, cracks,
Round domes, Roman style,
Surrounded by rock, // infused with faith,
From all sides.

Arranged, the missing of humanity.
Dedicated to the clearest // eyes under the sun,
Bedside, worshippers at the door,
In a voice only you can hear,

Living in our solid house,
Dreaming of modern
Where art is missing.
That's it, stepping out // from a classical mural.

Damp feet step // into the newly plowed soil of the garden,
Trampling seeds, singing, // for one's own name,
Existing for the sake of existing, // emptiness,
The existence of lost faith.