A Photograph Poem by Catherine Yen

The white window lattice, silk curtain and lamp shade
Chrysanthemum in color orange and green the fern leaves
I found you in the three colors
Surrounded by silence
Arc of your back and the curving chair
Penetrate the bright and turbulent light
Leap in front of your eyes staring at the window
You did not notice me in
The chrysanthemum looked up
Implying, ah, it’s you, please come in!

That was long before a picture I took
On the table
Is smeared with grey flecks and blurred lines
Blending on the glass cover
When your eyes sweep
You will see a branch emerging in the left corner
And to the right, a gentle slope
Beside a small pavilion
In the background, there is a lake
Beyond that, some low hills

The photo was taken the day after I was drown in the lake
I am in the lake, in the center of the picture
Hard to say exactly where I am
The effect of water on light distorting my body
If you look long enough
Eventually you will find me
You still not notice me in
Amid the light and shadow
Only the chrysanthemum looked up and said
Ah, it’s you, please come in