We drove to see the fireflies
Surprised a night like this
No one but a boatman quietly rowing
Thousands of fireflies
Stars, moon and lightning
All at once surreal
Fiery sparkles
dropped like rain
As if the angels were welding
A bridge to the heaven
The flies are blinking, twinkling
like lights on Christmas trees on and off
Like someone whose balance is uncertain after drinking
The night was soft as fur
The river of the voyages flowing
Cautiously over the dark distance
It is not the moon, I tell you, brother!
It is these fires
My chest caught fire
There was lightning
But no thunder, no sound, no rain
You put one of the flies on my palm
Let it die in peace
Your time to shine may be just tonight
I said, but I am your audience
I watched you dance your last dance
You lifted your veil and wrapped yourself in fire
We sat quietly at the name of no name
And in the trembling sky
A moon, a shell moon
The river reflects the stars,
As if the fireflies went to the sky and into the water.
The stain of fire
Is upon the world
Yellow, blue, red
It eats into the leaves
Smeared with saffron
Leaning against a dark velvet sky
If the water could dream
If the sky is a blackboard
The letter written on it would be:
Forget me not
The beauty of tonight will hurt
The rest of my life
* My Poet friend Chi’an is from KL, Malaysia