Zhao Zhuangzhi
FIRST FLOOR
On the dormitory’s first floor,
conditions are worst.
Moss on wooden doors,
rust on window bars.
From outside, passing the windows,
I see three special rooms,
with their own bathroom,
doors and windows aluminum,
Simmons mattress.
A black student
wielding a club
to chase a mouse
that ran in from the Chinese students next door.
6/12/20, Zhanjiang
Translated by MW, June 2020
JEDER KANN UNMENSCHLICH WERDEN
ein toter zeck
ist ein guter zeck
ich glaub den spruch gibts auch mit hofer
MW Mai 2016
RATTEN
hofer ist nicht das problem
nur seine ratten
sagt meine frau
vom 20er haus sage ich
so viele laufen ihm nach
ratten oder kinder
wenn es so viele sind
wo ist der unterschied
MW Mai 2016
Jun Er
RAT-NOTES
the money my mother gave to me and my brother
that was never enough
she hid in the wood stack in the store room
after a while she thought of looking
rats had bitten three bills
into weird crescent shapes
I took them into the city
to the bank
the bank attendant let me tape them
when I taped half a bill together
he gave me half of the money
300 yuan in rat-notes
became a new bill of 100 yuan
I held it up to the sun
it was real, a brand new portrait
of the great man
Tr. MW, Nov. 2014
