By Changyao
Translated by Ajuu Hieda
Standing by the river
We bathed in the mutual caress of our fingers
Like horses on the grass
Brushing one another’s coats with their teeth
Don’t worry about flowers fading:
In their undeceived essence
the bodies of father and son share the same fullness.
Jasmine rings rest on the same pump necks
of mother and daughter.
Standing by the river, we bathed in the mutual caress of our fingers.
This word was honest, as if a poem had lost its age.
We placed helmets on each other.
We draped clothes patterned with snakes for each other.
Then we returned to the road.
From the curves and straight lines of waists and hips
We recognized where we belonged.
Ahead, a beautiful stream.