A Poem Written for You
Wanchen Cao
Do not
ask why I tilt my head and smile
I am waiting
for the sun to stop circling the little tree
and make my solitary shadow
longer
shorter
I am hoping
for the river to stop weeping over that hard stone
and make my feet
lighter
heavier
I am smiling
in the scarlet rain of blood I see as I tilt my head
there is still
your pure white
Wanchen Cao is a Chinese bilingual poet and PhD researcher in Creative Writing at the University of Dundee. She holds an MA in Creative Writing from the University of Southampton and is the author of Seven O’Clock (Anhui Literature and Art Publishing House, 2018). Her poems have appeared in The Galway Review and Synchronized Chaos, with work forthcoming in Apofenie Magazine and Red Wolf Editions’ All Things Turn Into Ghosts. Her paintings have been accepted for a September 2027 feature in Mad Swirl.
Publication Note: The Chinese original appeared in Seven O’Clock (Anhui Literature and Art Publishing House, 2018).