Global Meditations

Under the Winter Roof? 10

A Companion Poem to “Lord Leaf”? 11

A Literary Language? 12

Aubade for Sufferers? 13

From to? 14



Flowers of Life

A White Mare? 16

An Amethyst Gecko? 17

Flowers Don’t Speak? 19

An Excursion? 20

The Little Bird? 21



Buds of Time

Does It Matter? 24

Life Is Both? 26

Why Do You? 27



Psalms of God and Buddhas

Cheng? 30

Songs of Water? 31

Diamonded Cross? 32

Never Alone? 33

Sign? 34



Women’s Musings

In this Country? 36

Ms. Lin Can Drive? 37

The Male Half: American Men? 39

Not Darwinian? 40

The Story of Mazang’s Metamorphosis? 41

To Harassing Old Guys and Little Demons? 42

Men in Taiwan? 43

Women of a Kind? 44

Women’s Musings? 45



Arias for Taiwan and Ancestors

Fantasies? 48

Fragrance from Progenitors? 49

Wontons of the Father’s Daughter? 51

Hakka Sister? 52

Or, Witch? 53

Gem Flowers? 55

From the Sea of the Dragon King? 56



Notes? 58



Under the Winter Roof



Under the winter roof,

the curlicues, shells, and filaments of heat currents

rose to the naked hands with white webs in the dry winter as

all was icy and gray outside the translucid windows,

wind blaring as pine needles swayed and shrubs trembled—



The heart was touched, as if by a bowl of brown-sugared red bean soup,

or by the five-legged sinewed hands in Van Gogh’s self-portrait?



Taiwanese sweet potatoes, indigenous bee larvae,

pilgrim and Latino corns, Irish potatoes, African nara melons,



and, in wintry bleakness

outside, the red wine of the homeless.