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▍ The sound of metaphor always makes me ecstatic ▍ |
▍The duck herders in Luxi will set up tents on the river bank before nightfall. The women will light the fire, and the men will sit on the big rocks with dogtail grass in their mouths and watch the movement in the rice fields in the distance.
He pays attention to those bandits
border
don't let them overflow
own vision.
Bamboo tail tied with red silk
set aside
Rice grains scattered in the field
Not much, but golden and shiny
The children are out of school
Everyone gather around
Listen to the foreigners being sticky
Accent, occasionally
Kick the cracked tire
Or wait for the duck to look like
Like a mudslide
stuck in river
We sit high
Look at their feather backs
Keep throwing it around
splash
My third uncle
See me, try harder
wave to me
I don't pay attention to him
i saw my mother
Pushing my sister
The garden gate has been opened
resting on her shoulder
A handful of cornstalks
corn silk
unify
hang down
like a red waterfall
It will get dark soon
The river seems to be connected
The stones have been emptied
Duck crouching in the bamboo fence
motionless
Occasionally someone approaches
stepped on
They get up, quack
step back
Soon and silently
Like a mountain shadow
Along with tree shadows and human figures
suppressed their webs
only
My third uncle and the bonfire
The voice came
I heard it really
The fire rang out
The sound of cracking shells from dried bamboo joints
followed by
Thatch whirled
toward the sky
A piece shook out
filamentous curve
My third uncle dumped his cards
tried his best
That little square chair
skew direction
He cleaned it up
Pant legs.
The woman is lying
on straw mat
Press your chest tightly
pink pillow cover
a peony
Open heavily
Heavy petals.
My third uncle
Looking at the fire
at the same time
Looked inadvertently
She glanced.
I will also look at
Swimmed towards her.
river in darkness
whitish
One or two flashlights
Bright light swept across
sometimes tight
dog barking
I am three days later
Last one seen
burn out the fire
Third uncle's house.
flint
spread out layer by layer
How many pieces are on top?
Slightly crooked beams
He brought it back from the manganese mine
enamel cup
Exposing the explosive
bottom of cup
My father is sitting
A hoop on a wooden barrel
Soaked all over
behind him
In muddy water
Grandma is rolling
cry hoarse
like a
in boiling pot
Showing fists
gray duck
there are more people
Go to the village entrance
run away
I'm barefoot
Followed closely.
I was surrounded from all sides
flow of people
Squeeze up a short section of field ridge
That mud
than a month ago
firmer
i feel it
Creamy and
obtained by feet
unprecedented
cool
In front, everyone’s
The grain fields are connected together
two pigs
dodge in panic
Once you've settled down, you'll be everywhere
Arching on the ground
The remains of corn on the cob.
in the heart of the threshing floor
on wooden board
A person is lying down.
dripping water
dripping blood
Ulcer between toes
Exposed than pale
face
more delicate
fatter
meat texture
The woman is lying
narrow
on a bench
tremble
About to run out
on her
residual current
Far away, ducks
like pieces
thrown into the crevices of the river
hemp leaves
someone
Pick up what she dropped
halfway
sandals
Cross stacked on
top of her head
Pass it to her again
a bowl of water
Thin waves
wrinkled
It seems just to let her
See clearly
later
It got dark.
The moon is like hitting a stone
of duck eggs
one
The egg liquid is fluid
extremely slow
that night
The third uncle’s house is still there
flashing from time to time
The remaining flint
bright light
I walked over
Just wanted to pick something
I heard my mother
at the doorstep
on the slope
condescending
Raise your voice
I can't hear clearly
what did she say
ears full
It came from the entrance of the village
with
Exciting rhythm
Suona gongs and drums
The road to the underworld
Very dark
So many mountain roads
But it was quickly erected
Beside the bamboo shed
First, light a bonfire
Then the percussion class
disperse
It rang again
sound of playing cards
2025.8-11
Xiao Shui,Published poetry collections "Lost and Found" (2012), "Chinese Lesson" (2012), "Wormwood: New Quatrain Poems" (2014), "Bohai Stories: A Collection of Novels and Poems" (2016), "Two Sunny Days, Yu Dafu" (2021).
▎Drawing: Ye Chao
▎Editor: Xiao Shui
▎Photography: Xiao Shui
Machine-translated from the Chinese original 肖水长诗新作：《獠溪》 (published 2024-12-26). WeChat original ↗