"Paths" (For Prof. Wu Bing) by Russell C. Leong
北外王立礼2012-04-02 08:40
"Paths" (For Prof. Wu Bing)
Leaving the old ways behind
which always linked our stories
backwards, to tradition, she instead traveled outwards, to Hawaii
insisting upon diversity, where Chinese, Filipino, Japanese, Korean
and Hawaiian peoples lived side-by-side
in their proximity and passion.
She is the one who called our words
"a literature of introspection"
Where the writing--outwards from China to America
from East to West--always leads one back home.
The outward path creates the road inward
forming a luminous circle
a poem not only for the mind
but a direction for the heart.
And I, just one among many
continue to travel on the delicate edge
of her introspective thoughts.
In New York, I am awakened by a sparrow
that brings me back to dawn, Beijing.
Russell C. Leong (April 1, 2012, New York City)
UCLA Asian American Studies Center
Note: Russell C. Leong, a retired professor from UCLA, is a well-known Chinese American poet and writer, currently teaching in New York.
Leaving the old ways behind
which always linked our stories
backwards, to tradition, she instead traveled outwards, to Hawaii
insisting upon diversity, where Chinese, Filipino, Japanese, Korean
and Hawaiian peoples lived side-by-side
in their proximity and passion.
She is the one who called our words
"a literature of introspection"
Where the writing--outwards from China to America
from East to West--always leads one back home.
The outward path creates the road inward
forming a luminous circle
a poem not only for the mind
but a direction for the heart.
And I, just one among many
continue to travel on the delicate edge
of her introspective thoughts.
In New York, I am awakened by a sparrow
that brings me back to dawn, Beijing.
Russell C. Leong (April 1, 2012, New York City)
UCLA Asian American Studies Center
Note: Russell C. Leong, a retired professor from UCLA, is a well-known Chinese American poet and writer, currently teaching in New York.