YUAN CHANGMING

YUAN CHANGMING

WALNUT

The autumn’s yellowish brain

Hardened within spiky skin

Keeps all the secrets of the

Passing season

Cherishes its dreams

In each of its wooden lobe

WAY TO EXAMINE LIFE

As waters from the Fraser River

Join the Pacific with pure streamlets

From glaciers, there is no clear cut

Line between inland and oceanic waters

Walking along the bank, you see

A barge full of sawdust pulling in

From or to nowhere at dusk; along

The mouth a small tugboat drags

Half a mile of timbers where seabirds

Are trying to hear the gurgling

Between fallen trees, like a tiny

Ant carrying a huge dunghill. You feel

Tired of running, but you find waves surging

Towards the bank as if to send your thoughts ashore

SWEET FEARS

Before rising with his long and thick pigtail

Nurgaci openly proclaimed his seven bitter hatreds

Against Ming China, which eventually made him

The father of the Qing Empire... I do not have

Such prestigious hatreds, except for only a few

Hidden fears or, rather, non-fears: yes, I fear

I don’t fear not being rich, not being

Famous, not being powerful

Not being physically attractive, not

Being gifted or talented, not being

Normally healthy and, in particular

Not even being as poetic as I would

Otherwise have wanted. Although absolutely

Private, aren’t my fears sweeter than bitter?

YUAN CHANGMING

YUAN CHANGMING, nine-time Pushcart and one-time Best of Net nominee, published monographs on translation before moving out of China. Currently, Yuan edits Poetry Pacific with Allen Yuan in Vancouver; credits include Best of Best Canadian Poetry (2008-17), BestNewPoemsOnline, Cincinnati Review, Threepenny Review and 1319 others.