abstract image by Layers, on Pixabay, modified
All That I’ve Loved Most Dearly: for Helena Qi Hong
When I die at another antlike moment like this
No human crowds would gather to mourn my loss
Nor would anybody really notice my departure
Much less shed tears, even if because of the wind
Yet I am sure trees will shake off their leaves, horses
Will stampede, raindrops will taste somewhat salty
Hills & mountains will all murmur in a muted voice
Above all, Zhuhai will weep under sagging clouds
For it well knows there will be no more human soul
On this planet trying to connect with the city as far
As from beyond the Pacific, so closely & constantly
With its myriad spirited fingers caressing every
Synapse of the neighborhood, the very building
Where you dwell, while poetry cannot help feeling
Empty as if its heart were hollowed by my absence
Editor’s note: Zhuhai is a city in Guangdong province,
People's Republic of China. The city’s name means "pearl sea."
(Previously published in Ricepaper Magazine)
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Yuan Changming is the co-editor of Poetry Pacific, along with Allen Yuan
at poetrypacific.blogspot.ca He has a Ph.D. in English from the University
of Saskatchewan, 12 Pushcart nominations, and 12 chapbooks, his most
recent titled E.dening. His work appears in Best of the Best Canadian
Poetry (2008-17), Best New Poems Online, and Poetry Daily, among
others. Also, Yuan was nominated for and served on the jury for Canada's
National Magazine Awards (poetry category).