ONE
I said goodbyes to all
my childhood friends
on the stone bridge
over the quiet water
that ran through
my unmarked memories
I had buried my secret
wish on the river bank
with my bare hands
deep in the sand
I will be back, I said
to the gossiping bamboo
I won't forget you, I told
the aging oak
TWO
For many years
I have not listened
to music this beautiful
this insouciant
Suddenly, all
the pains have come
back; all the noises
seem to rise
I have wasted
so many lullabies
ignored so many quiet
whispers & so much
moonlight . . . .
THREE
My father taught me
how to ride a horse
My mother taught me
how to write . . . .
I have galloped
farther & farther away
from my father's eyes
But, my winged chariot
wheels on the solid ground
in a vast landscape
of my mother's
words
::
FOUR
My father died
when I was four
There were too many
wars, tears & hunger
My birthplace
was made of music
poetry & laughter
brother & sister
My life has changed
so much more
Many new faces
with the same ol' stories
Times forgotten
Years gained
Memories lost
Memories found
I've got a new name
I've got a new house
I've become my own
boss & my own slave
I grin when I mean to laugh
I cry when I want to sing
But I am rich as a King
in this land of shiny things
FIVE
Someone else
has written the book
of my fate
I was somebody
from somewhere. Now
I am nobody
going nowhere
I look around
and see the identical
frowns of small town
clowns faking happiness
Where do I belong? I asked
A man winked; the blond
shrugged; a mother lowered
her tiring eyelids; a father
downed another shot
You think too much! She said
Red dress and pierced tongue
strutting her stuff & they swung
until the wake of dawn . . . .
by 作舟, 2009
