The Spring Sun Also Rises, A Tanka Sequence Poem by Chen-ou Liu

Her soft, wet body
leans into mine
her legs, her thighs
move against me...
time and rain fall on

standing hand in hand
before our 3-bedroom house
now, we own
two Acuras
...and a golden retriever

autumn gust
blowing off my heart
her last words
You're like an onion;
the more layers I peel...

the distance
between sun and moon…
the apparition
of my ex-wife's face
in the rush hour crowd

in the mirror
Father's face and mine
overlapping
on New Year's morning
I take an ice-cold shower