Woman-Radical: A Feminist Lesson in Chinese Characters
妇：lady is a woman who has overthrown a mountain
好：wo man spelt as one word simply means good
妙：young women supporting each other are always wonderful
嫁：to marry a man is for a girl to have her own family
妖：weird would be a woman if she goes broken
姣: handsome is a woman standing with her legs crossed
婢：maid is a girl who is by nature humble
婵：beautiful is she who remains single
娘：mother is perforce a lady who is good and kind
**
To Be [Or Not to Be
Whatever or whoever you are]
To have [or not to have]
Whoever or whatever you may wish]
To do [or not to do]
Anything or nothing you would prefer, &]
To say [or not to say]
Nothing or anything you may intend to]
Given these four most common English verbs
We are all rendered equal as we cross
Every borderline, filling in every gap
In action as in thought [or otherwise]
**
Mainstreet.com
If ever at all, if only once
If you were
To have such a chance
Just keep driving
Drive forward
With no need to take a shoulder check
Despite so many beside you
Despite so much more ahead & behind
Along this new street, your car
(Like your body or thought)
Will adapt its shape like a stream
Of water running its own course
From past to future, amidst
Programmed sapiens, through
The flow of data
Until at the meeting point
Between yin & yang
Between 0 & 1
Between time & space
**
YUAN CHANGMING edits Poetry Pacific with Allen Yuan in Vancouver. Credits include ten Pushcart nominations, the Jodi Stutz Award in Poetry (2020) & publications in Best of the Best Canadian Poetry (2008-17) & BestNewPoemsOnline, among others across 45 countries.
