City of Faith

As well as Buddhism and Christianity
Some gods dig water channels like Allah
Some are the Holy Marys pushing wheelchairs in the park
Where ghosts thrive, gods thrive too
As shadow follows the light
Where light shines strongest you feel secure warmth
But don’t fear the places where ghosts roam
Sometimes the city’s depths are lighter than its surface
This is the advance of civilization.

---Tien Huan-chun

Nostalgia

When I was a boy
Nostalgia was a tiny stamp
I was at this end
My mother at that

When I grew up
Nostalgia was a slim steamer ticket
I was at this end
My bride at that


Years later
Nostalgia was a squatty tomb
I was out
My mother was in


But now
Nostalgia is a shallow strait
I am at this shore
The mainland is at that

--- Yu Guangzhong