Eight years out of China
produce big houses
and nice cars
and everything dreamed of
by folks at home
and struggled for
all their life
sipping juice
and over Chinese dumplings
we talk about
mainland and Taiwan
politics and war
and Simpson
kids babbling in English
play noisily
about the house
in the evening
we go to art performance
by a Nanjing troupe
to refresh our
China bond
In this corner of our sovereignty
red carpet reminds me
of the red years
outdated China Daily
tells yesterday’s news
a stout lady, a young lad with
heels proudly showing off
over his bent Lazy Man Shoe
a host of friends trooping through the back door
a tall man busy up and down
with familiar facial expressions
too familiar to be worth
any curiosity
The female tour guide
smart, neat
in her uniform
sexy, robust
her breasts high
very professional
she leads us around
the heart of the sword
feeling its pulse