較綠之地

繫住我的現代規範左近
有塊綠意較深之地
平坦的柏油路貫穿其間
蔭蔽處時見彎曲分歧
若一心跟隨不離不棄
它答允探訪幽咽小溪
然後徐下緩坡，到邊境與樹林相契

    曾經流連之地，我願如此回憶
    隆冬後冒出的蓊鬱，親切的邂逅
    更適宜掌管我白日的作息
    於是每當循495號路南下
    便嚮往一個
    可能過於美化的情境

並非當年捨棄的路途
綠地之路已飽嘗風霜步履
或引入標示分明的停車場
或岔進井然有序的棟宇
而今悄冥空寂
便利的環道雖不再輸送
奔波於責任之間的人群
依然助我尋覓來徑
結束午間遊歷

    此遊異於常趣
    籃框固守銹而未蝕的籃板
    一旁，藤蔓替高傲的燈柱披覆青衣
    無人阻擋，我遂上騰戲耍 -
    必然慣看了投射攻防
    網子仍堅韌如昔

瞥一眼寬闊的玻璃窗
不難發現廳裡的游泳池
保養有道，按摩池子水沫洋溢
是要把菌類送入漩渦
或者自以為好玩有趣
管理員有一番超現實主義

    這念頭令人不安
    我快步朝樹林邊界邁進
    甩掉擾人思緒
    浸泡在唧唧啾啾的協奏裡
    聽隱身的矮小羽族連發百重清泉
    直上樹杪，翱翔於近處公路傳來
    悶悶的低音之上
    這便是邊界之聲
    我心勃勃，因對照的詭異
    又感安逸，因退路明確可期
    直到一天，現代規範將我等割離

這才留意人行道旁
也有一塊較綠之地
雛菊欣欣在低處綻放
橘腹的鳥兒起勁啄食
以各自的步調專注古老的職責
忽略我的足聲
野地的花，賤價的麻雀
“何其短暫，真能無慮？” 我不免懷疑
而悚然驚覺自己微弱的信心
典型一隻受慣拘繫的動物
我一向就是，且欲繼續

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A Greener Patch

Next to the modern protocol which tethered me Stood a greener patch cut by a paved, shaded road. It curved and branched And promised, if I stayed loyal, Visits with a murmuring creek Before sloping down to the border of the woods. I’d like to remember the patch as a frequented place Sort of a forest emerging past winter As having a more affectionate claim to my daylight routine. So I anticipated it whenever driving south on I-495, but of course I was idealizing there and then. Not the one Not Taken [1] The road in the patch was well-trodden. Diverging to labeled parking lots and orderly buildings Now vacated Its convenient loop had shuttled people between obligations. And that was how I always found my way back After a lunch-time excursion. And what an excursion it had been! Beside a haughty lamppost dressed in verdant vines A basketball hoop clung to a backboard, rusty but not rotten. I mocked it with an unblocked jump – The net was as durable as it must have been In days of shots and hustle. Easily spotted was a swimming pool If one glanced through a broad glass window Maintained up-to-date, with a Jacuzzi that still bubbled. To send germs to whirlpool Or to amuse themselves Custodians were minding something surreal. That thought discomforted me So I advanced briskly to the edge of The woods, to shake it off To immerse myself in a chirping concerto. There invisible feathered midgets would sing One fountain after another Rising above muffled bass of nearby highways. 'Tis the sound of border - I felt alive in its bizarre contrast When safe in the knowledge of a sure retreat. That is, until the day the protocol bid us severed. Only then did I notice a greener piece by the sidewalk Dotted with sunny daisies bursting lowly and Orange-bellied birds pecking vigorously Both of which, in spite of my footsteps, Attending to ancient obligations at their own pace Wild flowers and worthless sparrows, [2] “How careless and brief?” I wondered, And shuddered at my little faith. So typical of a tethered animal, That I had been, and wanted to be.