on the train
reading over her shoulder
a Chinese newspaper
she held and
I read
at lunch
joined by a stranger
speaking Mandarin to me,
my pale skin
with blue eyes
roaming the city
standing for a nation
remote in a way
the Forbidden City
had never seemed
finally brought near
by a newspaper
a stranger in a
foreign land
and a language
not quite acquired
Shelly Bryant splits her time between Singapore and Shanghai, working as a teacher, freelance writer, researcher, and student of Chinese language and culture. Her first volume of poetry, Cyborg Chimera, was released by Sam’s Dot Publishing in October 2009, and her second volume, Under the Ash, is due to follow in late 2010. Shelly loves to read, write, cycle, and travel, and enjoys the opportunities for all of these that her present migratory lifestyle affords.
I loved the imagery in this piece and the way that it flowed. Thanks for the good read, Shelly.
Thanks Jeffrey!