It is the middle of the day on this
busy Hong Kong street. Every collision
is inexplicable. It seems the whole
mass of the people is moving to one
end while every other person stands still.
Temperature rises as pressure rises
as long as the volume of whatever
contains us is constant. From collision
to collision, I am a molecule
in a fluid assuming (not knowing)
the shape of the vessel that contains it,
water making its way down to the sea,
the smallest possible constituent part
lost in thought, the river, still, moving.
Tag Archives: Hong Kong
slowly
Macao/Hong Kong/Shenzhen
1
on a road
you think you know
sidewalks go
nowhere.
sudden absences leave us
walking in traffic.
to take our minds
off the narrow margin
between the curb
and every passing car
we imagine ourselves
one of them.
we pass two dogs
lounging near an open gate.
when they rise behind us
in the corner of our eyes
we see one smiling
at the thought of making us
jump before he
barks once on our heels.
dogs grow larger
margins grow smaller
and, unsure of their intentions
as they are of ours,
unwilling now
to struggle for turf,
we turn back at last
before we arrive
at the beach you were sure is
somewhere on this road
later, still walking on earth, you
realize you lost your butterfly
earrings somewhere
on the way.
2
In Central, where people
walk every day without once
putting their feet on the ground, I
wonder if they imagine us walking, lost.
3
On the same day in another city
altogether, we wander slowly through
a long talk on cracks in neo-
liberal cities where artists live.
A friend of friends says
strong German beer
has made her dizzy and I look
like Marx. I imagine
to change the world is a matter
simpler than interpreting it, hope
you are home dreaming butterflies
who do it without thinking
every time they move a wing.