Beijing is a distant place

by Liang Ping
     trs. by Chen Xiaoyuan

Beijing is a distant place
When I laid awake in Chengdu
I wondered how far it is
Like having insomnia, I started counting
till I lost the thread and drowsiness crept over
I counted from the 1st Ring Road
remained conscious till 250th Ring Road
Hazily I saw, Tiananmen Square, Monument to People’s Heroes
eunuchs and maids walking from Forbidden City
I’m sure I’d recognise them
but they don’t know me
I kept walking forward, exhausted
Beijing is a distant place indeed.

October 20, 2017