"1"
Love poem
We have plenty of matches in our house
We have enough matches at home
we keep them on hand always
We always have them around
currently our favorite brand is Ohio Blue Tip,
Our favorite brand of matches at the moment is Ohio Blue Head
though we used to prefer Diamond brand
Although used to prefer the diamond
That was before we discovered Ohio Blue Tip matches
That was before we found the Ohio blue-headed match
They are excellently packaged sturdy
They are beautifully packaged and sturdy
little boxes with dark and light blue and white labels
Dark and light blue and white logos are printed on the small box
with words lettered in the shape of a megaphone
Letters arranged in the shape of a megaphone
as if to say even louder to the world,
As if shouting to the world:
“Here is the most beautiful watch in the world,
The most beautiful matches in the world are here
so sober and furious
so solemn and arrogant
and stubbornly ready to burst into flame,
It is persistently going to burn into flames
Lighting, perhaps, the cigarette of the woman you love,
Maybe to light the cigarette in the hands of the woman you love
for the first time, and it was never relly the same after that.
This is the first and last time it can't be replicated
All this will we give you."
we will give you all this
That is what you gave me,
that's what you gave me
I become the cigarette and you the match, or
If I am smoke you are the match or
I the match and you the cigarette, blazing
If you are a match, you are the cigarette
with kisses that smoulder toward heaven.
Burning is kissing, turning into smoke and ascending to heaven
"2"
"Another One"
When you're a child
when you were a child
you learn
there are three dimensions:
You know there are three dimensions in the world:
height, width, and depth.
length width and depth
Like a shoebox.
like a shoebox
Then later you hear
Then you will know
there's a fourth dimension:
There is also a fourth dimension:
time.
time
Hmm.
Ok
Then some say
Then someone said
there can be Five,Six,Seven...
There are also five dimensions, six dimensions and seven dimensions
I knock off work,
after get off work
have a beer
at the bar.
Have a beer at the bar
I look down at the glass
and feel glad.
I looked down at the cup and felt a burst of pleasure
"3"
Poem
I'm in the house.
i'm in the house
It's nice out: warm
comfortable outside
warm
Sun on cold snow.
The sun shines on the icy snow
First day of spring
first day of spring
or last of winter.
or the last day of late winter
My legs run up
the stairs and out
the door,
My legs run downstairs and out the door
my top half here writing
And my upper body is writing poetry
"4"
Glow Flash
When I wake up earlier than you and you
when i wake up earlier than you
are turned to face me,face
when you turn to face me
on the pillow and hair spread around,
hair scattered on the face on the pillow
I take a chance and stare at you,
I look at you rashly
amazed in love and afraid
Feel so obsessed with loving you
that you might open your eyes and have
Also because I was afraid that you would suddenly open your eyes
the daylights scared out of you.
frightened by me
But maybe with the daylights gone
But maybe frightened
you'd see how much my chest and head
You can see my chest and head
implode for you, their voices trapped
how it collapsed for you
inside like unborn children fearing
Those sounds are trapped in me
they will never see the light of day.
Like a baby who is afraid of missing the sun
The opening in the wall now dimly glows
Weak flickering in the cracks of the wall
ints rainy blue and gray.
damp grey-blue
I tie my shoes
I tie my shoelaces
andy go downstairs to put the coffee on.
go downstairs and make coffee
"5"
"Water falls" (Author: The little girl in the film)
Water falls from the bright air,
water falls from the bright air
it falls like hair
fall like hair
falling across the young girl's shoulders
Fall from Yiren's shoulders
water falls
water fall
making pools and asphalt
Pools and asphalt became
dirty mirrors with clouds and buildings inside,
Mud mirror reflecting clouds and houses
it falls on the river of my house
it fell in the river in front of my house
falls on my mother and on my hair
it fell on my mother and my hair
most people call it rain.
people call it rain
"6"
"The Run"
I go through
I run across
trillions of molecules
trillions of molecules
that move aside
they drift sideways
to make way for me
make way for me
while on both sides
while on both sides
trillions more
trillions of molecules
stay where they are.
stay in place
The windshield wiper
blade starts to squeeze.
Wiper blades squeak
The rain has stopped
the rain stopped
I stop.
I also stop
On the corner
on the street corner
a boy in a yellow raincoat
A little boy in a yellow raincoat
holding his mother's hand.
holding mother's hand
"7"
"This Is Just To Say" Guestbook (by William Carlos Williams)
I have eaten the plums that were in the icebox
I ate prunes in the fridge
and which you were probably
saving for breakfast
You should keep it for breakfast.
Forgive me
forgive me
they were delicious
really delicious
so sweet
sweet when
and so cold.
cool
"8"
Pumpkin Pumpkin
My little pumpkin,
my little pumpkin
I like to think about other girls sometimes,
I sometimes think about other girls
but the truth is
But seriously
if you ever left me
if you leave me
I'd tear my heart out
I will take out my heart
and never put it back.
never put it back
There'll never be anyone like you.
There will never be a girl like you in the world again
How embarrassing.
really disturbing
"9"
"The Line"
There's an old song
there is an old song
my grandfather used to sing
my grandfather used to sing
that has the question,
song asked
"Or would you like be a fish?"
Or would you rather be a fish?
In the same song
Also in this song
is the same question
have the same problem
but with a mule and a pig,
But talking about mules and pigs
but the one I hear sometimes
and often echoes in
in my head is the fish one.
fish in my mind
Just that one line.
only one line
Would you rather be a fish?
Would you rather be a fish?
As if the rest of the song
like the rest of the song
didn't have to be there.
need not exist
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