'THE KOI POND AT THE MONASTERY', by John Grey

I’m watching koi swim
around and around
the waters of a pond
in the grounds of a monastery.

I give a donation
to the monk’s cause
in return for a fistful
of fish food.

I equate religion
with the smooth circling
of these fish
through recycled waters.

But, as man cannot survive
on the Bible alone,
these orange and white beauties
must eat.

So my scattering of minute pellets
on the pond’s shiny surface
offers the koi a way
out of certainty’s monotony

with what amounts to an abject
feeding frenzy. A nearby brother
smiles contentedly, laically.
He will dine well tonight.

John Grey is an Australian poet, US resident, recently published in New World Writing, River And South and The Alembic. Latest books, “Bittersweet” , “Subject Matters” and “Between Two Fires” are available through Amazon. Work upcoming in Rush, White Wall Review and Flights.

Photography by Phan Minh Cường An