Martin Anderson
The Chinese Box
Behind the ornate
ewer a bronze
Crane perching
above its lid
of orchids behind the
cumulus brocaded toes
of damask shoes
the scented tea-bowls
and elegant girdles
the orchestrations of
behaviour this
cow piss stink
upon the pavement
this lurch of shit
into the fish
pond this
‘kissing each
other and feeling
arses .. measuring
themselves for size’
thickening to a
saliva in the
courtyard to a
patina of dust
and blown mucus
beneath the rosewood
and lacquered box
to a jade
Lohan his round
eyes carved to
nothing who sits
and stares down
at his toes
through whom it
all is passing
(Lohan - pronounced Lor-han - Disciple of Buddha. The quotation is from David Hawke’s translation of The Story of the Stone)
Page(s) 27
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