When an infant leaves home,
The world, not being ready as always,
acts with confusion.
It stops gun fires, pulls down national flags,
revises constitutions, tears up IOUs,
turns off TV sets, opens cages, carries
its travel bag, and locks the door.
When an infant leaves home,
the world wishes to follow.
About the author:
Lü Yue has published two poetry collections Back to Breath, The Woman Who Marred the Ceremony and two other collections on academic research and criticism. Her works appear in major Chinese literature magazines People's Literature, October, Modern Poetry, Today, Writers, etc. Lü is the recipient of the 1st Luo Yihe Poetry Prize.