A Parable of the Regal Peacock and the Plebeian Rice

 

Among all the leaves and stalks of rice,
How can one endure
The countless promises
Of such sweet and gentle white?

 And even more—

If one is a lone peacock,
Suddenly wandering lost
Through this vast, oceanic awe,

Running and rustling
With the breeze—

And still more,
If that peacock
Once had been a mighty king,

Now burdened
With a long and luxuriant tail
That impedes both step and flight.