October 2010 Geoff Shōun O’Keeffe Old Hanoi celebrates one thousand years on these muddy banks. Palm trees drip condensed fog, reflected in the glassy lake. The city oozes sticky humid haze. Scooters and motorbikes surge like salmon spawn. Everyone but me has thick black hair and dark eyes. I am conspicuous by size and complexion. … [read more]
silence and speech
sun lightens my room outside the world awakens silence fills my ears
Hiroshima
be still be still be Geoff Shōun O’Keeffe August 6th, 2020 On the 75th memorial of the US bombing
Remember when we sat together?
Remember when we sat together? The late afternoon light always softened and faded as the day shifted to evening. Our bodies moved and vibrated, fidgeted and settled, then were still. Our voices rang with endless analog layers and in every timbre and tone. We smelled each other’s perfume, soap and sweat. Our eyes saw depth, … [read more]
The Space Between Before and After
John made a number of beautiful wooden boxes with lids that swiveled from one corner, every one unique, built by his hands, of various hard and soft woods, lovingly finished, each. These boxes were intended to hold ashes, John’s primarily, he told us. When he was dying four years ago he showed us his works-in-progress, … [read more]
My final evening
My final evening I’ll leave only a shadow fading in twilight -Geoff Shōun O’Keeffe 昭雲 July 28, 2019