For George Elliott Clarke
It is true,
in this stunning black portrait of you,
there is the black beauty and loyal heritage.
See the eyes are so sharp and shiny
even behind thick glasses,
the shoulders are so sturdy and broad,
they hold up the dark sky,
and the mouth powerfully sprouts
as if to speak to the whole universe…
There are many tiny, tiny stars
around you, behind you,
they are each and avatar of you,
no matter how tiny they are.
It is true, George,
The leaves of the laureate
tired on your head,
the painter has hidden the thorns,
but I know them well,
they are always there,
for pain is along each of your journey,
for suffering is deep in your skin,
but enduring and striving
is your roots to rise up and above.
It is true, George,
I too paint you so
in words.
(note: February is Black History Month)
For Albert Einstein and Charlie Chaplin
In this waste land,
I miss you both.
See we are drowning,
the nonsense-news fakes the currents
rising and sweeping us…
The black hole sucking the bare facts
is all man-made
that declaims AI or auto-freedom,
such chaos.
They make noises after being calculated,
collected and weighted.
I want to search the starry sky,
look into its silent universe,
then listen, listen hard,
seek, seek hard…
for this world
full of fools,
full of empty speeches.
I miss you both-
One gaining the world without words,
the other reaching the world beyond
beyond words.
Masks and Mittens
for Jiayan
They have become a global fashion
in this wild world-
So sitting in your white backyard
with a fat snowman beside
wearing your blue mask and
blue striped-pattern mittens,
you make a mimicking-Sanders posture.
A gesture of waiting, watching
and withholding…
How it fits you, or not, the Monkey King!
Mastering martial arts and Tai Qi,
a cloud diviner knows
deep breathing and letting go,
knows masking mouth and thoughts too…
But behind your foggy glasses,
there are stars and smiles:
If Winter comes, can Spring be far behind?