In Captivity, by the Streams of Babylon

in captivity, by the streams of Babylon
in captivity, by the streams of Babylon
in captivity, by the streams of Babylon
in captivity, by the streams of Babylon
in captivity, by the streams of Babylon

in captivity, by the streams of Babylon
in captivity, by the streams of Babylon

in captivity, by the streams of Babylon
in captivity, by the streams of Babylon
in captivity, by the streams of Babylon
in captivity, by the streams of Babylon

in captivity, by the streams of Babylon
in captivity, by the streams of Babylon
in captivity, by the streams of Babylon
in captivity, by the streams of Babylon
in captivity, by the streams of Babylon

in captivity, by the streams of Babylon
in captivity, by the streams of Babylon
in captivity, by the streams of Babylon
in captivity, by the streams of Babylon

in captivity, by the streams of Babylon
in captivity, by the streams of Babylon
in captivity, by the streams of Babylon

in captivity, by the streams of Babylon
in captivity, by the streams of Babylon
in captivity, by the streams of Babylon
in captivity, by the streams of Babylon
in captivity, by the streams of Babylon
in captivity, by the streams of Babylon
in captivity, by the streams of Babylon

This is a reprint of work originally displayed in Things That Disappear, an exhibition hosted by the Shanghai Arts Community in May 2011 and held in a condemned building, where art and writing was put on the walls and left to be torn down with the building (see the image below).

Shelly Bryant divides her year between Shanghai and Singapore, working as a teacher, writer, researcher, and student of Chinese language and culture. She is the author of two volumes of poetry, Cyborg Chimera and Under the Ash, and a travel guide to the city of Suzhou entitled Suzhou Basics. Her third volume of poetry, Voices of the Elders, is due out in early 2012, and her travel memoir The End of the Line is slated for release in late 2011. Her current projects include writing an updated guide to the city of Shanghai for Urbanatomy and translating Sheng Keyi’s novel 《北妹》 (Northern Girls) for Penguin Books.

Shelly’s poetry has appeared in journals, magazines, and websites around the world, as well as in several art exhibitions, including dark ’til dawn, Things That Disappear, and Studio White • Exhibition 2011. You can visit her website at http://web.me.com/shellybryant.