by He Xiaozhu
     trs. by Sophia Kidd

the tools I bought arrived
a hammer   and some electric scissors
really nice   I put them on the table
reluctant to put them in the toolbox
why did you buy more tools?   she asks
don’t we already have a hammer and scissors?
my explanation   that other hammer is useless
I can’t even get really angry at it
when fixing a chair
but the scissors
they’re harder to explain
every pair of our scissors is fine
I bought these oil green handled electric scissors
just because I like them

by He Xiaozhu
     trs. by Sophia Kidd

I write a line
then erase it
although what I write fades
I still erase
rewrite   and re-erase
until what I write
is invisible

by Xiong Yan
     trs. by Chen Xiaoyuan

I said good night to my five-year-old daughter, with a gentle kiss
on her cheek
After a busy day, Mom got tired and dozed off in the chair
Father covered her with a blanket light
Wife came back from the wet market, wearing the morning glow
at her temple
I wrote poetry at midnight, encountering my loneliness along the
way

My heart is a grain of rice, when the husk is removed
it is crystal white

by Gao Jiangang
     trs. by Wang Ping

Downstairs the fig tree
Blossoms over night with red flowers
That’s a red limo waiting for the bride under the tree
A white cloud covers the sky, which turns out to be a wall
Separating families; on the wall sits a white cat
Which appears to be a rusty AC, causing headaches and coughs
Someone is smoking a pipe, but that’s the attic’s
Two round windows and smoke vent, making a face
At a distance people are fighting at the top of their lungs
Oh but that’s just dogs barking
Then two thunders, shaking the house
Dark clouds rolling in, about to rain
Then my phone rings
An ambulance sirens
I open my WeChat, realize
I was wrong, all wrong
The pipes underground just exploded
The living and dead are all mixed up

A street light appears among buildings
But that is the rising moon, the night is upon us