Zhang Shufei
SOMETHING I DON’T UNDERSTAND
Uncle Wang who carves face stamps
let Papa see
the face stamp he made for their boss.
Papa asked Uncle Wang,
how much did he get for it?
Uncle Wang said,
who on this world
would ever ask
his boss to pay?
Translated by MW, May 2020
Zhang Shufei, born 3/5/14, lives in Tengzhou, Shandong. Her father is the poet Gao Ge.
《新诗典》小档案：张书菲，2014年3月5日出生，山东滕州人，高歌的女儿。
IT WAS TWENTY YEARS AGO
it was just ten years ago
ten and a half, a little more
ten years ago
feels like twenty years
this was our place
this was our house
our stairs
our door
this was our apartment
you were pregnant here
you climbed these stairs
to the seventh floor
with eighteen kilos more
in the summer
over 40 degrees celsius
humid, mosquitoes
this was our place
very small children
small bathroom
small tub
what a great luxury
terrace
plants are still there
the most important ones
pashanhu in chinese
what’s it called?
climbs up the railings,
the stuff we erected
only ten years ago,
twelve years ago,
fifteen years ago,
some of it.
the roofs,
the birds in the morning,
bats
the other buildings
the view,
the people,
the smells
we were
sgt. pepper’s
lonely hearts club band
May 1st, 2019
photo by David Howard
3 WALES IN AUSTRIA
3 whales in austria
wales played much better
in german whale sounds the same as election
any choice
president is like english
trump started to smell long ago
in 2000 there was a problem
no-one had three votes in half a year.
the na in nazi means nation
national socialism
democratic whales are still good
the best whale is still socialism
but in brexit times
we have ever more ranking
president wales
MW July 2016
《奥地利三条鲸鱼》
奥地利第三次選鲸鱼
德语选举和鲸鱼发音一样
而總統像英语。
美国共和党候选人已经有味道
他们2000年选举有问题
也不是半年選三次。
纳粹的纳德语是民族
纳粹的翠德语是社会主义。
无论如何要民主鲸鱼。
社会主义永远是最好的鲸鱼。
但英国离开欧盟的危机之下
奥地利三次鲸鱼腥味
愈来愈濃。
2016/7
3. WAL
der 3. wal
des österreichischen bundespräsidenten
schmeckt wie der 1. wal
lasst die viecher in ruhe
ich mag sie nicht
oft auf dem tisch
MW Juli 2016
《三等》
奥地利三次選總統
奥地利三等選總統
一等国家
不容忍纳粹
2016.7.1
3. WAHL
österreich ist 3. wahl
1. wahl wären länder
die nazis nicht tolerieren
MW 1. Juli 2016
photo by David Howard
Thank you for your cooperation!
Roses in Soong Chingling Garden, Beijing 2008
roses
it is the best time of the year
when all the roses are in bloom
this year the rain was very good
and so the air is not too bad
it is the best time of the year
a cyclone and an earthquake too
and everything that went before
it is the best time of the year
MW May 2008
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
rosen
es ist die schoenste zeit im jahr
wenn ueberall die rosen bluehen
der regen ist ja richtig gut
ich weiss nicht was noch alles kommt
es ist die schoenste zeit im jahr
ein erdbeben und ein zyklon
und alles was noch vorher war
es ist die schoenste zeit im jahr
MW Mai 2008
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
