The Night Is Upon Us

by Gao Jiangang
     trs. by Wang Ping

Downstairs the fig tree
Blossoms over night with red flowers
That’s a red limo waiting for the bride under the tree
A white cloud covers the sky, which turns out to be a wall
Separating families; on the wall sits a white cat
Which appears to be a rusty AC, causing headaches and coughs
Someone is smoking a pipe, but that’s the attic’s
Two round windows and smoke vent, making a face
At a distance people are fighting at the top of their lungs
Oh but that’s just dogs barking
Then two thunders, shaking the house
Dark clouds rolling in, about to rain
Then my phone rings
An ambulance sirens
I open my WeChat, realize
I was wrong, all wrong
The pipes underground just exploded
The living and dead are all mixed up

A street light appears among buildings
But that is the rising moon, the night is upon us