This Morning
--George Scarbrough 

Getting out of bed, Han-Shan
Falls flat on his back between the bed
And the bureau for the second time in a week.  

He lies breathless, feeling no dismay, only
A sense of expectation confirmed: “I’m
Developing an intimacy with the earth,  

The old leveler,” he says, getting his breath
Back. “The world keeps going for my head,
The love of one sphere for another,” he
Supposes. “With heaven kicked out of the way.” 

He smiles at the egregious metaphor
And climbs the bedpost to a new erection,
But tempted to slide down again. Stepping
Gingerly, he makes his way to the kitchen,  

Wondering how many more falls he will be
Obliged to take before he is forced
To accept the stance and keep to the level. 

[taken from the Han-Shan Sequence]