Three Vernacular Poems: Collision / Samsara / Broad Beans

2006/9/17 10:10:40

Collision

An accidental collision
gave Earth its moon, its tides
and a supposedly necessary tilt

Nostrils with nose hairs walking along the Third Ring Road
exchanging pleasantries with Inner Mongolian dust
no air conditioning on

Samsara

Memory gnawing at the wind of the past
the flies of thought bite the rotting flesh of words

Wind passing by
Time's match strikes the future alight
The canyon of the present drowns all rivers

Rivers burn
Residual ash another cycle of samsara

Broad Beans

Sitting in bed eating broad beans
Stars embroidered on the quilt
different from the ones outside

Not eating broad beans

Specialty goods from Suzhou
Candy sunflower seeds preserved fruits
The salt on the broad beans isn't bitter

The stars are different