1918: Mountain climbing and tennis

Mountain Climbing by Tang Dynasty poet Li Shi

The whole day, fuzzy, in a drunken dream.
Suddenly hear, spring end, compelled to climb the mountain.
By passing temple, meet a monk and chat.
At last, floating life, a half day's leisure. 

1918 - age 17

This year was my second year going to Bouwen School. Most of the school schedule I stated in the previous entry. In the afternoons, in the gym, we started to learn to play tennis. We have a tennis coach who taught us the basic movements of playing. After he taught us, we needed to practice. I was extremely interested in playing tennis. I and Mr Zhou, Mr Wang, and Mr Dong, we practiced together extra diligently. All four of us made the school team. There was a meet with another school from the north, Nankai School. Unfortunately, we were defeated and we knew we were not as good. After we came back from the competition, we practiced even harder. From then on, tennis was one of my great hobbies. 

During the 8th grade, the subject I was most interested in was math. My teacher, Mr Chen, taught us algebra and he was very strict. All the homework, you cannot goof off. I studied very hard and got high marks on the final.

Our school had a library, and it had several hundred thousand books: history, literature, religion, philosophy, and natural science. All the books were categorized by number. Teachers and students could check them out freely. The management of circulation and new books, students are assigned to do these jobs. I was one of the students that was assigned to manage the library. This job was done after class. It benefited me a lot because in managing the library, I could read a lot of the books, both Chinese and world literature. In this way, I advanced in my learning. Later on, China had the May 4th Movement, which revolutionized China's education and literature. And the school purchased a huge amount of books. We who worked in the library got to read them ahead of everyone else. Even though I had a full scholarship, I didn't have any spending money. Since I worked in the library, the school paid a few dollars. It wasn't a lot, but for me at the time, it was like a huge rain after a drought. When it was time for me to go home, I still had some money to buy travel fare and some gifts for my parents. 

Sunday mornings, our school rule was most everyone needs to go to worship service. After lunch, we can leave the school grounds, but limited to going east. All the tourist places we could visit. I visited several places and wrote poems about each place which I have included in my book of poetry.

Duanwu de mayo #3

by Annalise Lathrop

Names 
Changing "Nordtvedt" for a new name
Becoming Lathrop for a new family
Each family culture, so different
So what will my own family be like?

Seattle
The sun comes to shine upon the city
The sun comes to shine upon my face
I feel more alive in the sun
When will the sun come and stay?


by Megan Spurgeon

Sixty Miles

Warm sun, throat tight, a rare hour alone in the car.
Hot tears, sixty miles of choked silence, sixty minutes for my own questions this time.
I feel like a plant uprooted and divided, waiting for transplant.
Will my soul find its soil?

4:30 PM
Legos, books, crumpled socks.
Emptied bins, cleared shelves, inexplicably a pile of bird seed.
The boys have been here.
They say, "Enjoy these years", but I might lose them to the vacuum. 

by Meggan Uecker

Flight
Grownup baby, independence wishes, crashing on tough reality
Barely adult, time cherished, success is coming
To let you go, you break my heart
But I can't wait to see you later

Stuck
Rural living, limited choices, everyone knows your name,
Expansive land, smothering smallness, everyone knows your game,
Who are the people in your neighborhood.
Where do you call forever home?


by Irene Yung

2018 - age 42
Green plate, high on shelf, casually leans on wood.
Red cloth, spread across table, steadfastly cushions bones.
Over years, friends stay and go and join,
Why write hungry when you can be full?

Heritage
Green plate, given to the males' male's male.
Red blood, passed down from mother's father's mother.
The body engendered with poetry
May hold the birthright more firmly.