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Boyhood Buoys

Yuan Changming

Boyhood Buoys (3): Secret Tryst

I never understand the taboo of my village school
But all boys avoided speaking to girls, and vice versa

Nevertheless, whenever I felt the real urge to
See my girl in private, I would hum aloud while

Walking out of our classroom, and in the evening
She and I would meet behind a low sand ridge in the

Dried riverbed. Watching the summer stars in
Innocent silence, we would sit for a while deep in

Each other’s arms until we departed in equal silence
Even without hitting upon the idea of a real kiss

Her name was Chen Yeqiong, a tall, slim and pretty
Fellow villager, with a birthmark above her right lips

That’s when we were in grade eight; that’s as early
As half a century ago, on the other side of the world

 

Boyhood Buoys (5): The Most Memorable Science Class

 

We didn’t know how or why, but we came to be

Convinced that swallowing a fresh snake gall

Would give us a more insightful pair of eyes

 

So, after catching a three-feet long grass snake

We skinned it off carefully, and cooked a big

Pot of soup with its old chicken-like meat

 

(O boy, how delicious it tastes! But my mom

Dare not go to the kitchen for a whole week)

 

The next morning, I blew enough air into the

Slough, made it into a vivid staff dragon, went

To school early and put it in the top-open desk

 

Closest to the podium. When the lid is raided,

The fully wound dragon threw the whole class

Into shriek. That’s our only field science class

 

 

"Counting Stars" Header Image by Susan Blase All Rights Reserved

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About Yuan Changming

Yuan is a 9-time Pushcart nominee and author of 7 chapbooks. Growing up in a remote village, Yuan began to learn English at 19 and published monographs on translation before moving out of China. With a PhD in English, Yuan currently edits Poetry Pacific with Allen Yuan in Vancouver, and has poetry appearing in Best Canadian Poetry,  BestNewPoemsOnline, London Magazine, Threepenny Review and 1159 others across 38 countries.

Filed Under: Poetry

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