A Poem From my Wife, Kara Quarles [unaltered]

Time is passing as if we first saw each other in the
17th centuy and we'll meet again in the 23rd

the junk sails into the Formosan harbor
dragons at the gate snort and smell
and tell us if we are behaving incorrectly

Yushan mountain peaks out of the clouds a
distant mist from T'ai-tung harbor

we will meet at the Chulu beauty hotel
sipping silver needle yellow tea
and Lu Zi will mingle well with the neighbors

we will see each other again in a little while
while the bamboo quakes and the
tea steeps

little cups left on the wooden bench on the veranda
overlooking the harbor from the Chulu beauty hotel
you in rough sandals, me in white socks

time is passing as the tea steeps and the junk sails out again
into the water
the dragons look up toward the veranda and on the lingbi stone nearby there is a small engraving that says
he, jing, yi, zhen