Yuan Changming
Linguistic Leanings: a X-Cultural Poem
2/ Feminism vs Patriarchy
In Chinese, 妇人(woman) is a girl who’s overthrown
A mountain, & 夫人(madam) refers to a human that’s
Broken open the sky
While in English
Woman implies her as the wo of man, & madam is
Nobody but an other representation of male or adam
2/ Getting Along towards the Same End
In Chinese, 朋友，恋人，& 爱人 are all
12-stroked characters, just as their counter-
Parts friend, couple & spouse are 6-lettered
Words in the imperial vocabulary of English
Though they are all underlined with human
Love and loyalty, the former entails twice
As much input or effort of the heart
As the latter to maintain a disparately
Similar humane relationship as a speech act
Body Politics: Left vs Right
1/ Brain
My left brain has everything right
While my right one has nothing left
2/ Heart
My left chamber’s been reserved for someone
Right, yet my right one’s for nobody on the left
3/ Foot
My left foot takes the position for the right
But my right one stands firm against the left
I Miss You; Therefore, I Am
(Another periodic sentence for Qi Hong)
I am thinking of you being awake all the time
I am thinking of you being awake, all the time
I am thinking of you, being awake all the time
I am, thinking of you being awake all the time
Yuan Changming edits Poetry Pacific with Allen Yuan in Vancouver. Credits include 12 Pushcart nominations & 15 chapbooks, most recently Sinosaure (Redhawk Publications). Besides appearances in Best of the Best Canadian Poetry (2008-17), BestNewPoemsOnline, Poetry Daily and nearly 2,000 other literary outlets worldwide, Yuan served on the poetry jury for Canada's 2021 National Magazine Awards and began writing and publishing fiction in 2022.