森闺"Indoor Wood" by Cela Xiè

森闺

献给飞飞

临春我带你游乡港，远处不仅有灯还有星。

Deep Chambers

For Feyfei

When it is almost spring, I take you to roam along the village harbor. In the distance, there are not only lamps, but also stars.

“And the building of the wall of it was of jasper: and the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass.”

— Revelation 21:18

森闺 Indoor Wood

献给飞飞

临 The leaves have turned lilac now that winter is here,

春 and the forest imagines it is a ballroom. You emerge

我 from your bedroom, wearing a mermaid, as you never

带 have, draped in real emeralds, but do you like it? If

你 not, I want to give you a better present. I’m there too,

游 dressed in torn lace and cloud bones, by the river

乡 that branches along the wallpaper and into the lake

港 on the ceiling. There are particles of water drifting

远 through us, past the embroidered chairs and the

处 brocade carpet scattered with petals, pearls falling

不 from the parasol trees above us. The Revelation says

仅 that heaven is built from chalcedony and chrysoprase.

有 Are we different? We are part of the world. So surely

灯 what comes from our hands is part of nature. The snow

还 that is falling now is as natural as the chandelier. So

有 I am sure you are living wood, delicacy in your well.

星 There on the left — a tiger and an ape. There we are.

Cela Xiè is a poet of twenty-five years who has accomplished nothing in particular, except writing for almost two decades. In that time, he has written one thousand, six hundred and three poems, forty-three short stories, and one draft of a memoir. He is currently pursuing an MFA at North Carolina State University. His poetry has been published by Querencia Press, Gyroscope Review, TAB: The Journal of Poetry & Poetics, new words press and The Pierian, and is forthcoming from Sine Theta Magazine, VOLT Magazine and Public School Poetry. He has a selection of poems, Before I Spoke to Myself, published by betweenthehighway press.