Jiang Cheng

Autumn rain patters against the waters by the pier.

Lotus petals dance in the breeze,

boats are filled with lotus pods.

I feel as if in a dream,

strolling through the cove—parasol in hand.

Everything seems right.

Startled by smoke and flames, 

I wake to a sea of red.

Frantically, I search for some sign—

One of the peace I once knew.

I flail in tainted air, seeking for anything to hold on to.

Wind whips at the smoke and flames,

ending all they brought.

Everything that happened, 

now erased, is nothing more.

My old friend flees alongside the soft petals.

It is done.

All of it should be gone with the wind.

but lives on in my mind—

Lives as memories I can never escape,

No matter how fleeting they should be.