Now and Then

NOW AND THEN

by Billy Collins

This poet of the Tsong dynasty is so miserable.

The wind sighs,

a single swan passes over head

and he is alone on the water in his skiff.

If only he appreciated life in eleventh century China

as much as I do.

No loud cartoons on television,

no music from the ice cream truck.

Just the calls of many birds

and the steady flow of the water clock.