Antique Store, Beijing

The room is rich with scrolls
tasselled lanterns glow
cascading from the ceiling

tall vases reach elegant upward
painted with silk-gowned figures

I feel
if I could sit at that table
where dragon breathes fire at dragon
carved in high relief

watch the world through the glass
of these ornate windows

grind ink on ancient ink stones
lifted from silk boxes

I could write something lasting
with strokes from an Emperor's pen.