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 20^th 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 20^th Arges Poetry Night International Culture Festival.