My kind of town

The City of Chicago

Burning coal, steel factories, by the western side of the five lakes--
Smoky trees, wind on sails, scenery nearly overwhelming;
Lamps and lights, so bright, create a mirage.
High rise construction, a stairway to the sky;
Outside the country museum, cars like a river.
In front of restaurants and temples, waves smack the embankment;
Turn around stores and mall, competitors vie for marketshare--
Newly built skyscraper, as high as the clouds.

Chicago is located at west side of the Great Lakes.
There's a street with so many bright lights.
Inside the city there are museums that show the countryside.
Sears Tower newly built, the tallest building in the world.

More on Plum Flowers

Plum Flower Quatrain by Song dynasty poet Lu You

It's been said that plum flowers bloom in morning breeze.
Snow drifts spread everywhere, in the middle of four mountains.
How can I to transform into a hundred billion bodies?
For every plum tree, a free old man.

Known for being a patriotic poet, Lu You was called a Lover of Country. During the Song dynasty, northern China was occupied by foreigners, and he always wanted the north country to be recovered. It didn't happen during his lifetime but he expressed his wishes through his poetry.

The words for free old man is his other name, Fang Ong.

Quatrain is in place of the words Jueju which is a form of 4 lines of 7 characters each.