Ears —for Ah-Xiang (By Wang Mingyun) Poem by Denis Mair

Wang Mingyun has suffered tinnitus since childhood, due to an overdose of antibiotics. He began his working life as a coal miner. Devoted to poetry from an early age, he was founder and editor-in-chief of POETRY MONTHLY, a top poetry journal which was supported by a coal interests in Anhui Province. When provincial officials warned him that he needed to submit his editorial selections to them for approval, he stood firm and refused to remove content from his magazine. When called on the carpet for a reprimand, he still would not back down. He later explained that he remained confident because he knew the coal industry stood behind him.(During the cold wave in December 2010, when some northern cities only had 1-2 weeks of coal in reserve, the Anhui coal industry worked 24/7 to make sure that they did not run out of coal for generating electricity.)/
The poet Ah Xiang worked for Wang as assistant editor of POETRY MONTHLY. He has been deaf since childhood.