The invitation
was implicit
it was already
mid-autumn
a lawless
degustation
of ten poets
gatecrashing
bringing arrows
from their coats
they drew lots
and shot down
nine of the ten suns
and afterwards
they read poems
that solicited
some attention
then cleaned up
kissed everyone
and left
ReplyDeleteNB It occurs to me that a) I live in China, and b) you don't. The combined Mid-Autumn Festival-National Day public holiday has just started here. The poem, such as it is, refers in part to this:
"Long, long ago, there were ten suns in the sky. The suns burnt all the plants and people were dying on Earth, until one day excellent archer Hou Yi used his bow and arrows to shoot down nine of the suns. Earth was saved, and people flocked to learn archery from Hou Yi. The Western Queen Mother gave Hou Yi a bottle of elixir that could make one person immortal. Although Hou Yi did want to become immortal, he wanted to stay with his wife Chang’e more. Therefore, he just kept it at home.
Pang Meng, one of his students, tried to seize the elixir when Hou Yi wasn’t at home. Faced with greedy Pang Meng, Chang’e decided to drink the elixir. It made her fly to the moon where she would stay forever. To remember her and pray to her, Hou Yi and others started to worship the moon with many offerings."
(I should like to thank James Walton and Kristen Davis for the loan of some felicitous imagery and ideas.)
Exquisite Rob - love the way you've woven the mid autumn festival / public holiday into the lawless degustation of ten poets. Fabulous! We've had a public holiday here but I don't think the Grand Final in Victoria quite matches the Mid Autumn festival mythology!
ReplyDeleteYou are kind, dear Kristen. But for many there are more stars on the Grand Final field than there are stars in the night sky. Which will orientate our work, yes, in the direction of ever more lawlessness, I'm sure :)
DeleteLove that they solicited some attention then kissed everyone! And left. Don't they just do that!
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