Hei Feng
(China)
1. Cat’s Two Nights Reveal Slowly
Cat looks at me
Cat will eat me, cat is walking
towards me; cat is walking from
one tile of the arching roof ridge;
Cat’s beard sails slowly, cat seems
Standing on a tile in the cloud, behind the cat
there seems to be layers of curving eaves layers of houses
layers of ocean; cat’s upper body crouches
the yard is empty, only me
The courtyard is enclosed from four sides
This is a long confrontation
In the fated north, in the fated autumn equinox hour, in the fated
courtyard, encounter this wily cat
There is no equivalent here, only absolute abyss, complete downfall
It crosses innumerable mountains and rivers, it taps footsteps, taps Quyuan’s Li Sao
Taps Du Fu’s shanty, taps everything to arrive here
Taps cloud steps (?)
Nobody sees cat’s presence
––no time for cat to appear
It seems to be a night cat. Cat is blue for one night
Red for another. It appears on the eaves dripping rain
Looking down from up
It will drown my yard
Drown me
A horse of wind
I turn and whirl
Whirl and soon the cat arrives at my back
Appears in the yellow sun
Staring its brass eyes
––it has no sound
no direction yet it is everywhere
It seems to hide from water hide from mud hide from wind hide from my blood
Hide from my night hide from a nightmare
Hide from a cold shiver
Hide from my body’s slight motion
The cat reaches out
Another
Or?
Cat double-steps down the tiles
Cat appears on the tile grooves cupping rain
Appears in the brass sun
Staring a pair of insomnia eyes, no sound
Like gecko on the tiles like a scar a withered leaf
A cloud of shadow a plume of yellow smoke
Slowing moves
Slowing moves as if there is no move
No sound
Yet
Cat’s plum blossoms open cat’s umbrella open cat’s sharp claws
Open cat’s symbols open cat’s two nights slowing open
I am like an antelope I see danger I have fast feet but not to avoid
I am an elk I indulge in watching I am mesmerized by plum blossoms I have fast feet
but not to avoid
I see horror’s “grave neck”?
See the lively blue night yet not willing to avoid
Cat’s one foot
Holds
Wants to seduce me back
I hold my breath
Gather myself
Wait
––that moment
2. Cat Comes Back
Broad daylight
A calico cat drags a fish
Slow pace
The cat is somewhat nervous
The disaster happens, an abrupt speed
Attacks the cat’s pace
The fish does not bring speed, the fish brings slowness
Perhaps cruelty
The fish is heavy
It is almost longer than the cat
This is a long bright day
Broad daylight is typically cruel to cats
The cat is a little frightened
It has no freedom under the sun
The cat runs back and forth sniffs back and forth weeps back and forth
––the cat has not found that fish
The cat weeps
Unseemly
The cat’s weep pierces through hearts
Through walls
Through sky through clouds, through winter through coldness through wind
Through trails through forests through ponds through ice
The cat’s weep chases a fish
It chases its first outdoor hunting
Chases its first fish
A fish shaped like a dream
The cat’s weep is wrapped in mud
Mud’s feet mud’s beard mud’s face
Mud’s sob
In this long bright day
A pair of eyes look at the cat
Mouth with dirt.
3. Night Is Still Firing Guns
This is some frightened flesh this is
Some bitter flesh this is
Some singing flesh this is
Some flesh flying in the sky
But
For one sack
How much cruelty and patience it costs
Full of bullet holes, the sky is dimming
There, guns go on shooting
The muzzles of guns keep searching…
Soon, the sky turns from dark to black
––before noon
Human midnight is here
When birds flutter away
All the spines in the sky fall on the ground
Bullets first pierce
the conscience of sky
then penetrate our lungs
through bird nests clocks music notes…
before they stab our souls
and pass through our ancestors
Something most treasured is perhaps our finality falling
Medusa’s head is soon to arise
Bang bang bang bang…
Night is still firing guns
© Trans. by Don Sun
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Heifeng, born in February 1968, Gong An, Hu Bei province, China, graduated from Huazhong Normal University in July 1990, editor in Beijing Literature Magazine, poet, writer. Had published works on World Literature, Chuang Shi Ji, Essay, Sino-Western Poetry, Poetry Journal, Shan Hua, Da Jia, Shanghai Literature, etc. Poems and essays had been included by Da Shi Ge, Post-Menglong Poem, China Poem Ranking List, 2015 Essay Year-Selection, China 2016 Year’s Essay, etc. Poems ad been translated into English and Romanian. Cats’ Two Nights Opening Slowly and other poems had been included in 20th Arges Poetry Night International Culture Festival, Night is Shooting had been included in Hong Kong’s Mixed Voice (Proverse), some poems were published in America’s Houston Garden of Verses. Some short stories were included in 2011-2012 Literature Year-Selection Short Stories and China 100 Short Stories. Had finished poem Empty Pregnancy and Flying in Ashes, experimental novel The Sixth Darkness, and essays Looking forward to A New Food and All the Bottom. July 2016, Cats’ Two Nights Opening Slowly and other poems had won special honor on 20th Arges Poetry Night International Culture Festival.