Into the Reality
You see, here’s the leaf dyed with the full
Spectrum of autumn; here’s the dewdrop
Containing all the dreams made on the
Darkest corner of last night; here’s the
Light pole in the forest where gods land
From another higher world; here’s the swirl
You can dance with to release all your
Emotional intensity. Here you are in
Deed as in need embracing
The most
Mindful moment, when you can readily
Measure your feel with each breath, but do
Not think about time, which is nothing but
A pure human invention. Just point every
Synapse of yours to this locale. Here is now
Features; for Hengxiang Liao
Not coincidentally, I have met many a person
With a strong appearance of a lower species
For instance, one school mate of mine carries
The features of a rabbit, another close relative
Those of a horse, a colleague of a familiar dog
An acquaintance of a hedgehog, a fifth of a
Snake, a sixth of a pig, a rooster, a rat, a water
Buffalo, a donkey, a goat or chimpanzee &
Each seems fated to fall within or without some
Chinese zodiac year
While my wife often
Looks like a nasty cat, she says my face oftener
shows all the hideousness of a demon, as if to re
Mind her like every other fellow human, I was
Born in an extra year of Satan though we were
All created equal in His image
Lover’s Stone for a Shadow Wife: for Qi Hong
1/ Jinzhou, October 7, 2021
After celebrating your father’s birthday, you
Went out of your way to see my mother in
Jinzhou as my shadow wife rather than in
Any other dubious capacity. Though you
stayed there for 15 minutes only, you left a
Handsome red envelop containing all the
Filialness of a Confucian son on my behalf
Indeed, I may not survive the Pandemic, nor
Might she hold long enough for me to cross
The Pacific, but your special visit has given
Her the best comfort from a daughter-in-law
She felt sorry she did not take a photo with
You, but I assured her to commemorate the
Meeting in a poem in a foreign language
2/ Zhuhai, October 7, 2021
No, no, no, you should not have had a thief’s
Conscience when you went to see my mother
On my behalf, for a heart-stealer is no thief
To begin with
As for the gift of a big stamp
Jade, it was given not to you alone, but to both
Of us, which you can cut into two, one to
Carve into an artist’s seal for you, the other
A poet’s signature for me. More important
From the same piece of jade, they are one
And the same, if put back together
Like a philosopher’s stone
YUAN CHANGMING grew up in a remote village, started to learn the English alphabet in Shanghai at age 19 & published monographs on translation before leaving China. With a Canadian PhD in English, Yuan currently lives in Vancouver, where he has worked as a tutor, translator & publisher. Credits include 11 Pushcart nominations, 10 chapbooks, Best of the Best Canadian Poetry: Tenth Anniversary Edition, Best New Poems Online and appearances in more than 1800 literary outlets across 46 countries. Additionally, Yuan served on the Jury for Canada's 44th National Magazine Awards (poetry category).
