Like snow, like jade

Egret by Li Bai

An egret dives toward the autumnal water.
Solo flyer like falling snow
Heart at ease, no hurry to leave.
Standing alone by the shallow edge.

Egrets were endangered by poachers. Their flight majestic and peaceful. When in the water, they are very still and you don't want to disturb them. The commentary says Li Bai was probably writing about himself, since he never attained any great status aside from his literary fame. He is expressing his identification with this independent, carefree bird.


Southeast Alkaline Factory

Located in Yilan county, Luodong city, one my of my friends built it and the facility was excellent and the technology cutting edge. It met international standards. My friend asked me to tour his facility and afterwards I wrote this poem to remember this event.

People say innovation and good work is difficult,
Happy to climb these high stacks that nearly touch the sky.
Iron containers and steel pipes connect all over,
Oxygen, carbon, and ammonia flowing this way and that.
From this factory, underground passage runs all the way to Su'ao port,
Smoke streams from all the furnaces, enveloping Taiping mountain.
Salt, halogens, and cement powder enter coarse and raw,
The final pure alkaline product precipitates into something like jade.