Buried deep in the topsoil Of his native village, my father’s ash Was swirled up in a tornado, joining All the gods in Taoist legends high Up in the western sky. He certainly Has no idea if he can become a Buddha As he wished; nor did he know he would Leave earth in such magic manner, but as I Look up afar into the heart of the universe, I see A new star sparkling like his bone chip Glittering in the urn, which I opened to see Out of curiosity on my way to Shisanbao. Where are you in this moment, dear Dad? Still down in the land or up there in the sky?
Yuan Changming hails with Allen Yuan from poetrypacific.blogspot.ca. Credits include Pushcart nominations and appearances in Best of the Best Canadian Poetry (2008-17) & BestNewPoemsOnline, among others. Recently, Yuan served on the jury for Canada’s 44th National Magazine Awards (poetry category).