Books, lamp, her mother's desk,
a small cot from which, lying down,
she may observe trilling leaves
of spring and fall cottonwoods
Most of her books are studies of women in Buddhism and some
books by Eihei Dogen, Hongzhi, Shunryu Suzuki, Kosho Uchiyama, Ryokan,
Red Pine, Shiwu (Stonehouse) and Han Shan (Cold Mountain), along with
several collections of Chinese poetry translated by Kenneth Rexroth. The
collection changes as the old woman's studies change. From the cot
there is an especially intriguing view of young cottonwood and ash trees
just across the small creek.
In my hut, I listen to the evening rain
and stretch my legs without a care in the world.
-- Ryokan (tr. Abé and Haskel)