Morning's Glimpse (in Beijing) a poem from 1999
morning's glimpse
light side of the sky
the freshest air
pigs slit in two
ride on bicycles to restaurants
old people bang on trees
joggers avoid puddles
leave them still and radiant
to reflect the power in the sky
cars ignore red lights
bicycles ignore cars
cops and officials still asleep
ignore everything
soon they'll wake
direct traffic
sweep away puddles
regulate the course of rivers
print permits and passports
ignore this flamboyant mystery
tomorrow morning
the air will be fresh again
Michael Primont
mprimont@msn.com