Response to a Friend

“The world happens, as illusive as dreams.”

FEBRUARY 4, 2025

After endless storms and thunder-strikes,

it’s all suddenly dust left behind.

The moon above an empty city, the barking dogs.

Furtive laughter and curses through palace walls.

When the royal house demands an ode,

I want a brave man’s most striking words.

The world happens, as illusive as dreams.

Will any of it seem true in the end?

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From “Ten Thousand Miles of Clouds and Moons: New Chinese Writing” (Honford Star, 2025).

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✺ Published in “Issue 25: Ghosts” of The Dial