The Temple of the White Dagoba, Beijing

In the market
outside the temple courtyard

chickens scurry
small boys clash with sticks
old men smack down chessmen

fruit being weighed
tumbles multi-colored from scales

fish glimmer in pans

crickets sing
from clusters of wicker balls
and buyers bend close to listen

leaving lanes piled with charcoal
and echoes of the market's
fleeting lives
I find
inside the temple courtyard
floating towards the clouds
a white dome gleaming
eternal marble and gold

under massive eaves
wind moves tiny bells
that hang along the roof

I lean close
to listen.