
Her Garden
Thunderbolt,
tears,
heart racing and
broken
It’s not true,
cause you promised me
that you will be there
in Bridlington, England
to show me
…
your paintings of flowers
We had a plan
to meet,
to see each other in the eyes
the love of life
the love of details in your paintings
and in my writings
We had a dream
to exchange,
to feel in each of your strokes
the wonder of life
the magic of beings
and in each image of my stories
I thought I have no tears
I believed I understood no depression
Now I think beyond tears
there is deeper happiness called joy
beyond depression
there is profound understanding of well-being
for I know,
as enlightened humans
that life comes and
passes
for I know
that we should celebrate its birth,
its effort,
its talent
And I know
that we should sing its journey
to the other world
her garden
Though I hear no more replies
to my WeChat messages
I receive no more paintings
as art recommendations
…
there is this forever “helloooo…”
repeating itself
in the silent
WeChat room
echoing
Can you hear me from the world
to us
not familiar
Can you see me from where
no one ever comes back to
confirm the comfort discomfort
Worries reach my guts, disturbing
crawling into my liver
I feel my heart sinking to
nowhere
feeling heavy and
stuck in uncertain sphere
Yet I see Zhuang-Zi
playing his drum over the tomb of
his beloved late wife
in Spring, welcoming another life
Then I see her
always in her elegant posture and
graceful smile
in autumn, when leaves turning red
when her brushes capturing
the eternal beauty of the universe
Hai Bo
August 18th, 2014
To Lei Yi (雷艺)
Beloved Classmate
Great artist
Daughter
Mother
Wife
Beautiful poem. You said it all, Haibo.
We have lost a beautiful soul and her graciousness and gentleness will forever be missed.
Although I have not seen her for at least 25 years, her signature smile and her caring spirit are forever embedded in my brain. To me, she is like a beautiful butterfly, who can always fly artistically with ease. No matter where she is now, she will fly high with elegance. I am sure occasionally she will fly back to our dreams-we will see you soon.
Good bye for now dream girl Lei Yi.
Chen Jiang–your classmate used to sit in a same desk by your side,