odd stone out
after reading Leung Ping-Kwan’s amblings
1
a thousand years and this
mirror pond takes emptiness
in, empty mountain no one
there in an ocean of dry
where anyone
can see all
save one
anywhere
garden changes
every time a leaf falls
every time light falls there
still
waterflow
comforts all
who do not know
human voices echo
sorrow passing
passing joy
2
uncontained, this world city is
a museum all surface, no
symbol
3
no speech is
ordinary
4
everything is
different
5
trying to be
strong as a rock
the odd stone out
6
then she
would write
the things
that have fallen
it’s the rain
7
people come to the walls
stop. the sound of water flowing
8
it’s with our walls we get past the wall
9
strangers in this museum,
never stray from ordinary things
no speech is
ordinary
we both look for clear lines
10
and there you are, missing
the children in that
house of clear
lines
I passed
this morning
walking — still
no idea how
to spend a fickle winter.
we can only die to be alive
reviewed by Steven Schroeder, Chicago
Leung Ping-Kwan. Amblings. Translated by Kit Kelen, Song Zijiang, Debby Sou Vai Keng, and Iris Fan Xing. Association of Stories in Macao, 2010. ISBN 978-99965-42-20-6.