An Unexpected Day Off Poem by Raymond Farrell

An unexpected day off
Found me hopping onto B3 bus
And heading to Gu Lo stop
From there I made my way
To the vegetarian restaurant
Run by the local Buddhist temple
For a late lunch
Early dinner meal
What do you call that?
Linner or Lupper!
Late afternoon I spent time
Watching the artisans along
He Fong street
Work their crafts
Some in wood
Some in precious metals
Some in jade
Some in glass
Some in clay
I bought a clay tea cup
Complete with a lid
Inscribed with the Chinese characters
For a long life
As twilight approached
I went to West Lake
And found a little tea house
On the shores of the lake
The sun set
And the lake
I looked out on
Was as clear as crystal
Framed in by the mountains
On three sides
The lotuses growing
Near the tea house
Were pink and beautiful
The ancient tour boats
Where slowly
Coming in to dock
As the darkness gathered
The orioles
Sang in the willows
And I sipped
My cup of
Long Jing tea
Drinking in
The peace and tranquility
Of West Lake
Waiting for
The colorful musical fountains display
To begin
After the darkness
Arrived.