Sunday, May 05, 2024

Duanwu de mayo #9

Wooden Soul by John

Traverse the planked ceiling; grow. Upside-down; Glowing Furnace
Run to the good Doctor. Extinguish; Roaring Curse
Context, flummoxed; metallic aftertaste abides
OakHeart, my dear, pray sunlight for me


by Doug

Twilight's arrival is night's announcement
Light's departure is evening's concession
Details and colors bow to shadows and voids of gray and black
Silence waits for the blanketing peace or waking fear


RONG JIA by Irene

Death count, life innumerable; face fears holding hands
Poem format, poetry unfading; turn from bitterness open arms
When does one lose the title of daughter?
Sisterhood endures all breaks and blooms in the family tree


Garlic Chai by John

Smells kind, sharp, earthy surprise
Feels warm, like purpose realized
How much sugar did she supply?
A hidden rhizome surprise: Ginger’s Demise


THANK YOU FOR REMEMBERING by Irene

Prepped cup, scheduled Zoom; nothing readies me for sunset
Toppled dream, sudden alarm; rhythm steady in friendship
Themes, like lemons, keep dripping with more squeeze
Writing flows over the smoke of burnt dinner

Providence’s Meditation by John

Focus on your breath; beating, breathing
Never mind that thought; fleeting, leaving
Curiosity guide you, loving-kindness drive you
Breathe; Engage with the flowers, the trees, the lilies

Friday, May 05, 2023

Duanwu de mayo #8

The first failure of many better others by Irene
Blanket of gray dotted with pale green, striped brown;
Pane of glass streaked with dirty rain, chilled cold.
Annual tradition yet lack of plans leads to where?
Alone with my tequila cup, quiet phone, and empty Zoom.

Sleepless in Wyoming by Dana Jill
Full moon misty blurs its light
Behind clouds behind trees behind window pane
What wakes the glossy eyed stare?
Instapot beeps - hard boiled eggs are done. 

In Transit by Megan
Rained on, yelled at, and chill seeps through to bone then deeper.
Neither layers nor headphones hold the cold at bay.
Is this even a real city if the busses can't run on time?
And the ones that do just take me further from home.


Sunday, January 01, 2023

1942 - age 41

I spent two new years in Yongan. Just after new year, the first thing I did was prepare to receive Mr Xu*, he was to visit me for a week. Mr Xu Jingyun, Xu Siyin, everyone called him Xu Jun Lao. He's from Anhui. He used to be prime minister. After the Republic government was established, he was sent to Japan to serve as ambassador. He was short and thin of stature and could not speak Japanese. But according to all my Japanese friends, among all the ambassadors, Mr Xu was the most respected among the Japanese. In 1937, Japan invaded China. So Mr Xu was sent back to China. And our central government moved to Chongqing. Mr Xu was director of relief efforts committee. In this committee, many people were assigned to various places for investigation. In the beginning of this year, Mr Xu and several other people were assigned to Fujian to perform investigation. Yongan was a temporary capital for Fujian. We did not have a modern hotel to accommodate all these people. Fujian provincial government decided to ask Mr Xu stay in my house. My apartment was newly built by the Fujian Provincial Bank and was situated close to the bank and had lots of space. All the amenities were sufficient, originally built for the CEO. 

*my mom remembers this Mr Xu had the same last name as her mom, my grandmother, and was from the same province, so he may have been a distant relative.

In, 1931 Japan invaded Manchuria (Dongbei) and set up a puppet government. Dongbei has a lot of natual resources. In 1937 Qi Qi (July 7) Japan began systematic invasion of China, the start of WWII. Aug 13 (called Ba Yi San) when Japan invaded Shanghai, my uncle, who was 3 at the time, remembers the cannon ball fire. In December was the Nanjing Massacre. 

My mom remembers flying a military plane from Shanghai to Taipei. As soon as she stepped on the plane, she felt nauseous. It was her, her older brother, and her mom, with her younger brother lying across the three of their laps. She was unhealthy in Shanghai and her dad thought she had tuberculosis. When she went to Taipei, she got a lot healthier. She remembers always returning home during the school year for illness. In Taipei, after fifth grade second term, she continued in school. She would run across the street with her little brother. No crosswalks. She remember the streets being closed for military and the officers would pick her up across the barrier, she was scared.