依然 (still.)
—a love letter from your heritage
bai he.
do you still believe in mingyun?
dynasties rise, dynasties fall
legends die and their tales are told.
thin red thread
for what you know, what you own.
for a dead knot
around your wrist, to
ward off evil
in your twelfth year.
you retrace my steps.
red and gold, set anew,
cannon rust and changcheng dust
i am your legacy.
do not mourn me
i am not the dead star of the east,
i am your emperor of sunrise
my essence is in
the trail you blaze
and the liuxing rain
that rips the night open as you
watch.
do not cry for me
i am not your tears,
i am your blood
the red kite in
the rye ocean that was once
your home.
do not wait for me
i will not return,
i have never left your side.
look for me in the shine
of your dragon scale eyes
and the dew
that caress your cheeks.
do not miss me
i am not a dead leaf echo,
i am brighter
than the five thousand eight hundred and forty
aluminum dawns
you were there to see
and more.
do not forget me
i am not your past,
i am your present, i am your future
and i will stay forever.
our souls have never belonged anywhere
but with each other.
love me
you loved me once
and i love you still.
——
ming yun - the chinese belief in destiny.
changcheng - the great wall of china.
red thread - refers to the tradition that one must wear a red ornament during the year of their chinese zodiac, which rotates every twelve years.
liuxing - comet rain.
- Lily Shen
Cover Photo Source: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/300404237617152760/