Afternoon Notes
By Wendy Xu
After Bei Dao
A squirrel alone with his thoughts
Spider’s geometry which you might avoid
by rotating your shoulder just so
None of this is meant to be of any consequence
A soreness three quarters up the leg
An engine is more than a mumbling
cutting with a wince into—
Nevermind
Rustling another green nut to the feast
is what matters now
Choosing the most simple
beautiful words
that won’t spoil on the half-day journey to meet you
A leg hair perks the wind
It stands up without shadow
without panic
without ambition
Unable to be judged by standards of human dignity
