雙語詩〈飯後一神仙〉刊登于《芝加哥時報》2021.9.24

〈飯後一神仙〉

吞進，吐出

吞進，吐出

瞇着眼的神仙

斜躺在沙發上

聽唸小學的兒子

在燈下，琅琅誦讀

鴉片戰争的歷史

香煙繚繞裡

一段即將成正果的煙灰

突然被炙燙的一聲

「割肺賠腸」

震落凡塵

AN AFTER-DINNER IMMORTAL

         “one cigarette after dinner, happy as an immortal”

                                                           -- a Chinese saying

sucking in, blowing out

sucking in, blowing out

comfortably reclining on the couch

with eyes half closed

the immortal was listening to his young son

reciting under the dim light

the history of the Opium War

in the thick of  the swirling smoke

a section of ash that had been cultivated to attain divinity

was shaken abruptly by the burning words

“to cede lungs and pay indemnity with intestines”

and fell to the ground