Painting by Lampo Leong
A NEW CENTURY
Hearts leant to honor,
the earth darkens
we read the light in the Book of
Cement, read the truth
The golden bomb blows up
we are willing to turn into victims
and to display our wounds to others
On some photo-negative an archeologist
will discover the spirit of the times
which a child grabs onto, saying no,
it is history that prevents us
from flying
birds that prevent us from walking
legs that prevent us from dreaming
we who give birth to ourselves
who are birth
Bei Dao
Posted over on Poems & Poetics
Translation from Chinese by Clayton Eshleman & Lucas Klein
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