Welcome to “Poetry at The Arts Fuse.” A new poem every Thursday.

 

Some Questions for the Chinese Character

 

“The history of 也 is very complicated. It involves the confusion of three different characters.”

–Reading and Writing Chinese, William McNaughton and Li Ying

 

我

 

Is an “I” anything more

than a hand with a sword?

 

 

吗

 

Why do we persist in asking questions?—

horses rushing back into the burning barn.

 

 

田

 

Is there no path that leads

you out of your own fields?

 

有

 

What is it you want to own—

meat, or the moon?

 

 

J.D. Scrimgeour is the author of two books of nonfiction and five poetry collections, the most recent being a book of bilingual poetry, 香蕉面包 /Banana Bread (Nixes Mate Press). Recent writing appears in AWP Chronicle, The Common, Fourth Genre, The Lowell Review, Michigan Quarterly Review, and Poetry Northwest.

Note: Hey poets! We seek submissions of excellent poetry from across the length and breadth of contemporary poetics. See submission guidelines here. The arbiter of the feature is the magazine’s poetry editor, John Mulrooney.

— Arts Fuse editor Bill Marx