Han-Shan Fashions a Myth.(Poem)

 
HAN-SHAN FASHIONS A MYTH 
 
   The old poet loves peacock feathers 
   And gathers them as they fall, one 
   By one, from perches in the trees 
   Near his house. 
 
   First, he caresses 
   Them with a dry writing brush, oh, so 
   Carefully, lest he separate the delicate 
   Spines, knowing the colors are interlocked. 
 
   Then, he looks for a place to stand them 
   In his cramped, little house. Proper 
   Location, he says, is half of any art. 
   Near his bed he keeps a jarful of 
  ...