Petrified
By Christine Peiying Chen (New Zealand)
Roaring like a tiger or resonating like a dragon,
The howling thunder arrives and the shooting stars depart.
Whether in exuberant vitality or in heart-wrenching pain,
All fall into stillness with the wilting of plants, transforming into wonders after decay.
Finally, the secret technique to resist weathering and erosion emerges.
Possessing crystal clarity and hardness,
Every inch of skin is gently kissed by time, comforting and preserving.
With clear bones, dynamic interplay of light and shadow, absorbing the essence of sun and moon,
The body is filled with radiant flowing light.
Oh darling, do not be afraid,
In this world, there are always unexpected wonders–
From organic to inorganic, to transcending the mundane, how beautiful it is:
Falling leaves in flowing water, moonlight and flying birds, brushing against the body like silk.
An invisible pair of hands, renewing you completely,
Love or pain, forgetting or memory, all become raw materials–
Remember, you are destined as a precious gem.
Woods
By Christine Peiying Chen
Snow shines in the distance, up high
Maple trees nearby glow red, low down; silver ferns emit faint light even lower
Snails diligently nibble on the backs of leaves, devoting their lives to a single leaf
Moss covers the stones, delicate and intricate like tiny stars — mini peonies
Cryptomeria trees grow steadfastly in silence, their roots forming intricate patterns on the ground–
Perhaps their dream is to reach the clouds with an upright pen
Rain falls but doesn’t wet the clothes; trees provide cover
Beside the road, a tall withered pine tree lies, perfectly placed within the path’s edge
A good tree doesn’t obstruct the way
Its branches burst with reishi mushrooms
Surroundings are quiet, each occupied in their own way, alive or dead
Rain rustles, birds chirp with varying pitches and depths
Are they summoning souls or granting them peace?
The woods is vast; it hosts all kinds of birds and trees.Even
Death can be a virtue.
Let it be
Return fish to the sea
Return birds to the blue sky
Let greenness extend from one plant to the next
Let the beauty of youth move from one face to another
Give wrinkles back to me, and wind and snow back to me
Fill my cup of life with emptiness, and take it away!
Youth, love, life, I have already savored them all
Let me take on a black suit instead of the purely white wedding gown
Give the last kiss of the autumn cicadas to the final maple leaf and the last chrysanthemum
Marry winter sweet plums to the winter snow.
If it is destined to wither or flourish–
Let me gladly embrace it in my own way and depart with joy
Replace the fervor of summer with the tranquility of autumn
Replace the clamor of spring with the cold charm of winter
A loss? No!
Energy conserves. It transfers–
From one form to another
From one beauty to another one
Just like pebbles, being smoothed after eroding the ruggedness of
Their new life.
Christine Peiying Chen is a columnist of New Zealand newspaper ‘Mandarin Page’.
2023 won ‘The Best Foreign Author’ Italy– 30th ‘Ossi Di Seppia’ literature award, the first place of 2nd ‘Literary Asia’ (Chinese language) International Poetry Competition.
In 2022, she participated in the organization and publication of Sydney Poetry Festival in Australia, received a special contribution award. She has won twice of New Zealand Literary Award (Chinese Literature) 2021& 2019. 2023, she serves as the coordinator for World Poetry Movement Oceania. 2023 State own ‘Kazakh literature’ was published an interview to introduce her experience of translating and promoting of Central Asia literature. She serves as a committee member of New Zealand Chinese Writers Association. Her latest poems was published in ‘China Language’ (Taiwan, 2023).
