The Naxi Men
Naxi men smoke long pipes
In the cobbled streets of Lijiang,
Think about new tunes for their wailing instruments,
Dandle the grandchildren on their knees
In the cool stone shadows,
Watching the bright parrots
Swing on iron perches.
Naxi men are minding the house,
Writing long poems,
Stroking their philosopher’s beards.
Out of town, Jade Dragon
Ice Mountain sits with its
craggy head in the clouds.
Pey Pey Oh has been published in Magma, Chrysalis, In Earnest, Accordian Flyer, Neon Clouds, Malaysian Poetic Chronicles, Poetry Underground and various anthologies. Born in Malaysia and educated in the US, she now lives and works in the UK as a therapist with essential oils and traditional Chinese medicine. This poem comes from her experience backpacking on her own through China in the year of Tiananmen Square.
Naxi men smoke long pipes
In the cobbled streets of Lijiang,
Think about new tunes for their wailing instruments,
Dandle the grandchildren on their knees
In the cool stone shadows,
Watching the bright parrots
Swing on iron perches.
Naxi men are minding the house,
Writing long poems,
Stroking their philosopher’s beards.
Out of town, Jade Dragon
Ice Mountain sits with its
craggy head in the clouds.
Pey Pey Oh has been published in Magma, Chrysalis, In Earnest, Accordian Flyer, Neon Clouds, Malaysian Poetic Chronicles, Poetry Underground and various anthologies. Born in Malaysia and educated in the US, she now lives and works in the UK as a therapist with essential oils and traditional Chinese medicine. This poem comes from her experience backpacking on her own through China in the year of Tiananmen Square.
