Force of Nature
There was a final punch of steam
felt inside the collar, under the armpits.
The sky lit up like a curtain pulled open,
wind burst in, swept away the July heat.
Scholar trees shook and yellow flowers
leapt from their panicles as if fleeing fire,
conflagration of a different sort—storm, Beijing-
style, sudden as a hutong granny’s fury
but passing quick, and harmless, if you know
how to cool off with a good cursing,
declaim like a westerner an inconvenient truth
other neighbors keep unsaid. Eavesdrop if you want,
no law against it, but locate the nearest shelter.
Can you trust a force of nature
any more than you can fight against it?
#鼓楼东大街