BY HALLIE DONG (staff writer)
Note from the author: This poem is about the Chinese poet Li Bai and his cultural story, specifically how he liked to write poetry and where his inspirations were found. It includes a twist on his poems to ask questions about society’s standards against various cultures and many aspects of Chinese tradition.
drunk under a full moon again the sky a dark abyss eye whites staring
wineglass raised & toast celestial madness forgot how to think again
roaring / twisting / tunneling the world clears
he sees again oh Li Bai romanticizing the stars above the
battlefield they don’t have to know how bloodstained the moon
rose winding / squeezing / shutting Him out the door how did i
die? he thinks always remembering the distance between friends, the
darkness between stars, the flowers, the wilted ones
sitting in his lap after a wine party the wars never cease do they?
like the one right here right now i wonder what
would you say Li Bai do you care to enlighten me with your
ancient wisdom lost between waves and forest clearings
if you so worshiped the moon what do you tell people who worship
themselves ideals paper-white skin no, moon-
white skin things that will never be true yes tell them those who
think differences and change are to be feared you
never feared when the moon changed phases did you of
course not now tell me why is this any different take your oar and
slap me so hard i turn red red crimson vermillion
blood like the blood-moon ah so we weren’t too
different after all
