mid-autumn night…
the wind whispers to me
Chinese words
that offer me a home
in the shape of a moon

tanka by Chenou Liu (2011)
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standing alone
under our Chinese pine
I remember you...
its trunk forks out
and roots into the ground

tanka by Chenou Liu
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her toothbrush
in my medicine chest
declares residency…
gazing at the mirror
a face hard to recognize

tanka by Chenou Liu (2011)
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last day of spring
a pair of butterflies
fluttering
in and out of the silence
that stretches between us

tanka by Chenou Liu
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last day of spring
a pair of butterflies
fluttering
in and out of the silence
that stretches between us

tanka by Chenou Liu
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with eyes closed
rugged hands holding a Bible
against his chest
the migrant prays to God
in his adopted tongue

tanka by Chenou Liu
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a hazy skyline
filled with palm trees
towering over
dirt yards with broken fences...
the smile fixed on her face

tanka by Chenou Liu
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Amazing Grace
drowning in traffic noise...
bright sky silhouettes
the evangelist's profile
before the ship's mast

tanka by Chenou Liu
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his comment ends
with 'thin images and thick words'
one snowflake
after another and another
on this October morning

tanka by Chenou Liu
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'a desk, suit, and tie
are precisely the things
you need now...'
his razor-sharp words cut
the smugness from my face

tanka by Chenou Liu
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