for Li Po (also known as Li Bai, 701-762) who is known for his poem, "Drinking Alone by Moonlight" and called the God of Poetry, but who only called himself the god of wine.
Bending my mind,
I dig all English words
out of a moonlit night --
a Chinese coolie laboring
in a foreign mine.
Gazing at the moon,
I think of Li Po
and drink a full cup ...
This winter has come
to me and me alone.
Word Catalyst, 9:2, May 2009
Note: In celebration of the upcoming 7th anniversary of being a
published writer of Japanese short form poetry, I am pleased to announce
a new publishing project, Selected Short Poems by Chen-ou Liu.
