A poem by

Yuan Changming

Back to Edition #002

Chinese Lesson Continued

Square-shaped, stroke-structured
Every Chinese character presents an
Abstract painting rich in symbolic
Meanings; for example, ‘自由’
[Freedom] is an enclosed framework
Where there’s always a unique stroke
Trying to break out of the cell
Whereas ‘牢笼’ [prison house] is 
Open-ended in every direction, but
Even if you are as strong as a bull
Or a dragon, you can never hope to 
Escape from under a simple radical

Yuan
Changming

(he/him)

Yuan Changming co-edits Poetry Pacific with Allen Yuan. Writing credits include 12 Pushcart nominations for poetry and 3 for fiction besides appearances in Best of the Best Canadian Poetry (2008-17) and 2149 other publications worldwide. A poetry juror for Canada's 44th National Magazine Awards, Yuan began to write prose in 2022; his hybrid novel Detaching, 'silver romance' The Tuner and short story collection Flashbacks are available at Amazon.