Shington temple, Kyoto
Men asleep in their underwear
Newspapers under their heads
Under the eaves of Toji,
Kobo Daishi solid iron and ten feet tall
Strides through, a pigeon on his hat.
Peering through chickenwire grates
At dusty gold-leaf statues
A cynical curving round-belly
Cool Bodhisattva--maybe Avalokita--
Bis**ual and tried it all, weight on
One leg, haloed in snake-hood gold
Shines through the shadow
An ancient hip smile
Tingling of India and Tibet.
Loose-breasted young mother
With her kids in the shade here
Of old Temple tree,
Nobody bothers in you Toji;
The streetcar clanks by outside.