Home Landing

home landing chinese ink
by Yuan Changming

Having nothing better to do, I kill
            Time by looking at a traditional
Chinese painting on my iPad

            Much enlarged, it appears like
A plain sheet of rice paper
            Smeared with ink. I view it

            In the presence of bonsai; I
Drop several thick strokes to the floor
Of history, leaving a few fine lines

Behind the sofa, & failing
            To catch a colorless corner
Between black and white

It is a landscape newly relocated
Into my heart’s backyard. Then I sit
            On my legs, meditating about

No light in the picture, no
            Shadow of anything, no perspective
As in hell. Isn’t this the art of seeing?


Yuan Changming published monographs on translation before leaving China. Currently, Yuan edits Poetry Pacific with Allen Qing Yuan in Vancouver. Credits include ten Pushcart nominations, Best of the Best Canadian Poetry (2008-17) and BestNewPoemsOnline, among others.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.