Night (By Qi Guo) Poem by Denis Mair

by Qi Guo
(tr. By Denis Mair)

20
(Instructions for Entering into "Night")

Whether male or female, to be read with clothes off
By day to be read behind curtains and closed doors
Outdoors in the daytime, to be read with eyes closed
In the evening, use only one eye, or read indirectly in a mirror

Can be read in the right order
Can be read backwards
Can be read beginning from any section or sentence
Can be read without regard to sections, or disrupt the sections as you wish
It is OK not to read it
You can read it N number of times
You can refuse to read it and enter directly into the evening

(By original intent, this poem was written for the dead to read)

19
Gradually
The airplane in flight becomes a mosquito

Like a nautilus shell I turn around
And tighten down my shadow under a lamp
This is about a needle's eye coughing and starry skies

A burglar has stolen the prefix from a name

Here is a lamp
A generating plant inside the lamp
Is accusing a sheet of paper and a pen

Words on the paper
Go to the toilet

I pull out an antenna to listen
To sounds from within the toilet
Like a train
Falling away within the distance

The train
Now pulls up its zipper

18
Sitting in a fast food restaurant
Open a styrofoam lunch box
Take out disposable wooden chopsticks
Gulp water from a plastic cup
Chew bites of beef raised with hormones
Food coloring, MSG and bleach get swallowed with it
Finally wipe lips on day-glo-printed napkin

No sooner do I stand up
Than a policeman walks up to me
And puts me in handcuffs

In the courtroom
I am the defendant
Also the accuser
I am putting myself on trial

The law is a net
Mostly woven of loopholes
Such a busy courtroom turns out to be a ballroom
People are dancing a four-step with lights out
No one can tell who is who

17
Audible dripping of the water faucet
Each sound subtracts exactly one sound
I'm being subtracted like an African widow

I'm feeling hungry
I think I'll have some barbiturates

A chair and another chair change into one chair
I put on contact lenses
And close my eyes

I can pretend to be dead
But can't pretend to be asleep
I turn on the switch
And the whole evening slips away

You can't find it
Take your time looking
Once you find it
You lose it again
Don't keep looking
It has gotten late

Flashlight pointed at the night sky
Looking for stars

Found it now

The night sky is an ashtray
Stuffed full of cigarette butts

16
Wearing a condom
I think the year was 2000

A flower is a sex organ
I am a honeybee
My big brother is a housefly

In front of a mosquito we are always women
A mosquito just had intercourse
On my neck

There is a prick of pain
A little blood
My shoulder is a virgin

Don't worry
It doesn't matter
Even if there is a pregnancy
It will be with a virus

15
The bell at zero hour rings thirteen times

Just like when you keep calling my name wrong

Go into the wrong door, make love to the wrong person

Horse married to a donkey

In the braying, neighing sickroom
I inquire about a mule in ungrammatical sentences

Thirteen rings of the bell—the zero hour has struck
Suddenly a number that is hard to understand

14
Heavy breathing of neon signs
Endlessly transfusing ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQR
STUVWXYZ- -blood in various colors

A girl singer
Lies on the great bed of the stage
Imitates a howling cat
Through a speaker box
Her sound is piped into a honeymoon suite
A birthday party
A graduation ceremony
All the way to the Olympics

The Olympics are really a nightclub

Thighs
Chest
Quick moves
Shrill shouts
Same sex
Mingled males and females
Stimulants
Money

13
Steamy mist in the public bath
Removing and putting on clothes
The mouth that speaks
Gives off an odor of sperm
People stripped naked are looking for something
Looking for a needle
To provide a little stimulation
For this impotent evening

Pair of breasts pressing on a chest
Two people like sheets of paper crumpled into a ball
Are lit on fire
Use the ball of fire to burn the fire out

12
Around this time
Someone starts humming a cradle song
Like a streak of water spreading on paper
A light rain starts falling
Like powdery snow floating down
There are tiny sounds like rice grains
Within those sounds
I become small
I change into an infant
Sucking milk
Reveling in the milky smell
Like lying in balls of cotton
Getting a tickly feeling
Hey
Wake up
This is the bathroom
You drunkard!

11
Fire slowly reaches into water
Water bites its finger
The finger is gone
I am beneath a traffic light
Waiting for a single sentence
The light goes out
I am gone
That sentence was like an alley lined with food stalls
In the dark of night
I've lost sight of it

10
All of them gone
The hand that was right at hand a moment ago
The crowd of onlookers that gathered around
A farmer looks at the tip of his nose
Tells the story of a serf's life
Gets so caught up with the story that it's about himself
The city is like a pencil drawing
Erased until it lies in shreds
Here are diaper cloths and there some banners
With a hangdog look
Right after taking off a plane droops down
With a sinking drone
Water surface smashed
Lamplight smashed
An orphan comes into this world
Get drunk once again
Raise my hand in surrender
Raise my hand to hit someone
Raise my hand to catch the electricity
Raise my hand for a caress
We who are in the mirror
In the mirror looking in the mirror
Sprucing up my skull
Rolling my stiff eyeballs
Making the whole room spin with them
It's as if there are four of me
Around a mahjong table
Between the circle suit and the bamboo suit
You have to go through a WAN [1]
Mahjong has won the game
The mirror is broken
The four of us are gone

Note: [1]A pun which means the "character suit" in mahjong; it also refers to a sum of money- -"ten thousand (yuan) ."

9
Wash my hands
Keep on washing them
Dry them and wash again
Dry again
Wash again
Wash my hands into infant's hands
I can never wash them clean
I'm afraid
I break out crying
I don't dare shake hands
Don't dare to touch my left hand with my right
The master of the left has not come
The left one does not belong to me
Wash my hands wash my underpants
Wash the night sky
Wash my countenance until it's like daylight
Like a soap bubble
Carried on the wind
It goes on a journey
Drifts past the television tower
Into a television serial
There is nothing in the first episode
Just a pair of gloves
Not until episode 100
Does a pair of hands appear

8
Be a nice clean person
Crop the hair from your head
Pluck eyebrows, beard, underarms and pubic hair
Pull out your fingernails
Cleanse excretions from ears, nose and corners of eyes
Urinate, defecate, ejaculate
Remove clothing
Lay down
Do not eat or drink
Don't think or look
Don't say anything
This office tower is tilting infinitesimally
The night is making small movements
People inside are unmoving

7
Bridge that straddles the river
Is a grand ideograph, un-simplified
A bat dives from the bridge
At the moment of hitting bottom
It flies up in the air
It has an old man's face
A pair of leper's hands
It dives from the bridge again
At the moment of hitting bottom
Up it flies again
It has a pair of infant's eyes
A great-grandmother's mouth
It dives from the bridge again
At the moment of hitting bottom
Up it flies again
It has ears like mine, and nose and teeth
It wraps its wings up tight like a fist
Dives down for the last time
On last year's map a man fell to his death
Around that time
The radio in his pocket was squawking
First it played a snatch of rock music
Then it played a newscast
Then some advertisements
Then stock market reports
He sat on the railing
Turned the sound up loud
Then made a phone call to himself
Hello
Are you dead?
Mmm-hmm
I'm about to die

6
Even when taking a piss, Li Bai was lyrical
A good thing that Liang and Zhu turned to butterflies
Otherwise love would have been imperfect…
When I was little I wanted to be a scientist
At fourteen I wanted to see a woman's breasts
At sixteen my mind was on love
Now I only believe in breasts
Breasts from which the bra
Is unfastened
Plush softness
Candlelight
Stroke with your hands
You forget everything

5
"Me" imitates us
Channel One imitates Channel Two
Apartments imitate prisons
The internet imitates the world
The #1 machine shop produces monks like Sandy
#2 machine shop produces Master Tripitakas
Pigsies are defective rejects
I've become a high-performing stock
The Monkey King is heroin
Forbidden, strictly forbidden
Seeds of fire forbidden

4
Who is who
You are my Dad
Will always be my Dad
You are my Mom
Will always be my Mom
I will always be your son
The wish has crossed my mind
To be my own son

3
The avenue is deserted
On the outskirts a couple of leafy vegetables
are having intercourse
Turn on the TV
An umbrella
Age: 34 years
A sound goes ka-thunk
It's as white as a hospital
A hospital in mid-air
Looking like the moon
A gob of my sputum

2.
Strike a match
Illuminate
The mouth of a volcano
A cigarette gets lit
Shhh
You mustn't make a sound
Mustn't hear a thing
We are keeping watch over a bunch of policemen

1
You have to wear dark glasses
Before you can get a look at this evening
The night is too bright
The daytime is too dark
Going down the highway
No way to back up
No way to find an exit
I feel alone and excited
A state of prolonged ejaculation
Take off all your clothes
Dash naked down the street
Curse at people
Shout at the top of your lungs
Belt it out shock-ock-ockingly
I...
Have slit my wrist
Bled a pound of blood
Paid at the toll booth
At this point I lay down
On an operating table at the hospital
Listen to scalpels hold a meeting
This area was not properly cloned
This area has no Linux software
This area needs Bluetooth technology
Increase supply of Nasdaq data to this area
I'm wrapped in a dancing rug
Singing karaoke
Watching a juvenile soap opera
Leafing through comics
Thinking about non-linear thinking
Feeding and raising an electronic chicken
Calmly nursing my wounds
So calm I'm like a clock
Tick-tock tick-tock tick-tock
1,2,1,2,1,2,1,2
Into these numbers you can pack this whole evening
Also fire engines that rush here with screaming sirens
A line of firemen jump off
Carrying torches to put out the fire
Fire has viruses too
I tap on this virus-carrying keyboard
And finish writing the final viral sentence

0
Common cold anemia hypertension
Premature ejaculation nocturnal emission
Aneurism stroke flashbacks hemorrhoids
Hallucinations hypertension, impotence
Myocardial infarction slipped lumbar disc
Bone spurs bunion crossed eyes strabismus
Glaucoma myopia tinnitus stuttering
Cardiac arrhythmia extra-uterine pregnancy
Infertility low sperm count necrospermia
Repeated miscarriage incontinent bladder
Diabetes obesity insomnia malaria color blindness
Neuralgia dental caries tapeworm anal fissures pinworm
Hookworm filaria scabies athletes feet
Podiatric osteoporosis constipation
Parkinson's disease menstrual cramps dysmenorrhea
Catalepsy sleep apnea coital fainting coital pain
Post-coital bleeding hypersexuality frigidity
Karoshi syndrome Asherman's syndrome
Cirrhotic liver gallstones bladder stones uremia
Diverticulitis hernia keratinosis hammertoes
Erythema hemophilia hypothrombocytemic pelioma
Measles herpes pemphigus bronchitis pneumonia
Hepatitis prostatitis phlebitis pelvic inflammation
Stomatitus rhinitis arteritis appendicitis gingivitis
Lymphitis nephritis myocarditis encephalitis tendonitis
Laryngitis colpitis myelitis gastritis uretheritis enteritis
Cystauchenitis cholecystitis keratitis arthritis osteomyelitis
Food toxicosis alcohol poisoning mercury poisoning
Lead poisoning snakebite hornet sting prickly heat
Organophosphide pesticide poisoning diphtheria
Scarlet fever rubella chilblains mouth ulcers
Tuberculosis syphilis gonorrheahives hypospadia
Fleabites postpartum urine retention puerperium
Lochia subarticular tubercle uterine bleeding
Trichomoniasis inguinal polyps pediculosis pubis
Soft chancre mycodermatitis prolapsed organs
AIDS esophageal cancer liver cancer brain tumor
Angeoma osteocarcinoma lymphatic cancer
Breast cancer pancreatic cancer cholera
Mad cow disease hyperactivity melancholia
Schizophrenia scopophilia exhibitionism
Obsessive disorder amnesia Oedipal complex
Narcissism fetishism bestiality dementia autism
Sleepwalking acrophobia pyrophobia misanthropy
Anorexia bipolar disorder internet addiction disorder
Delusions of grandeur gaming addiction internet dementia
Pathological volubility anxiety panic menopausal
Syndrome soccer syndrome over-cleanliness sadism
Masochism homicidal mania pedophilia SARS

And all of these illnesses meet with medicines!
Such as Six-Flavor-Ephedra-Pills diazepam atropine
Glucophage hydrocortisone Dimercaprol aspirin
phenobarbitol valerian amoxicillin erythromycin
isoniazid Metamucil Ritalin Prozac Xanax Kaolic
Robitussin Bronch-Aid Paxil Verapamil
streptomycin abacavir doxycycline-with-quinine
sulfamethoxazone tetracycline Metrocream
Medroxyprogesterone-acetate valium
Preparation H Ben-Gay Pepto-Bismol Lopressor
ibuprofen Tums insulin Neosporin Wart-Off Orajel
Two-Immortal-Pills codeine rogaine procaine
Vagistat asparaginase Ginko Biloba Naproxen
demerol Benadryl Paracetemol Loquat-Throat-Balm
Zantac Vagifem Arthrotec metronidzole Lice-Free
oflaxacin ciprofloxacin Metrogel Sudafed
Rehmennia-Pills-for-ladies Lydia B. Pinkham's tonic
laxative time-release capsules Dexatrim Flomax
Saw palmetto chamomile Warfarin Prednisolone
Lovastatin Swim-Ear rifampicin Swedish Bitters
Lotrimin tamoxifen chloramphenicol I.V. Nytol
Diabeta Syntroid Tetrahydrocannibinol Gaviscon
Smoke-Away Methotrexate Dermarest Estraderm
Lotensin Rythmol Spironolactone Neutrogena
Jade-Shield-Pills

And when they meet it's like going out in the evening and
running into the person who is always on your mind
Electric jolt through the body brighter than
The sun…a loud fart escapes…scramble about
From one place to the next...hit someone
Hit myself, hit a Nintendo button, play mahjong
Or poker or ping-pong, play that you are awake
Snore your loudest, do a back-float, play drums
Get charged up, open a door, go in the door
Close the door, sit down, stand up, go somewhere
Maybe to a teahouse, a fancy restaurant, a dancehall
A singing emporium, a park, a swimming pool
A hotel…go to a firing range, a billiard parlor
A ping-pong room, a chess room, an ice rink
A gym, theater, cinema, or stadium
A sound stage, an outdoor food court,
Beauty parlor, public bath, bar, or fruit stand
Florist shop, art gallery, audio-video store
Lavatory, candy store, liquor & tobacco outlet
Supermarket, internet café, bookstore
Sex paraphernalia shop, pharmacy, mall
Photography studio…

And when you go one of these places
Dance cheek to cheek, eat homemade noodles
Get down and disco, go for a deep massage, sauna
Take in a movie, video, book, art exhibit
Concert, newspaper, opera, magazine, ballgame
Eat hamburger, steak, ketchup, MSG, soy sauce
Lard, pepper oil, soybean oil, salad oil, wonton
Meatball, fish ball, pig's knuckles, saury fish
Hairtail, stewed meat with soy and anise,
Chives, greens, broccoli, spinach, cabbage leaves
Pickled vegetables, bean curd, salad
Drink green tea, bubble tea, black tea, boiled water
Pure water, lemonade, cola, slush, wine, coffee…
Smoke cigarettes, relieve your bladder, relieve
Your colon, spit up phlegm, wipe nose
Dig out earwax, have a romantic talk
Send fresh flowers, go on line, chat
Write letters, read the news, play shogi chess,
Play weiqi, play Chinese chess or pentamento
Go for a walk, ride a bike, ride a motorbike
Fall on your ass, go up the stairs,
Come down in an elevator, guffaw, smile
Make love, kiss, hold hands, shake hands
Clap hands, caress someone, go jogging,
Sing a song, shave whiskers, get a haircut
Get a backrub, a skin-scraping, a pedicure
Get a face rub, be sure to apply foundation

Feb.-Nov.2002