Poem
Chen Kehua
I
me, I borrowed his bodyand that segment of the flow of time
my coming into this world was like
a surrealist painting
and from that moment – awesome –
there was grief/joy
desire, and ambition – these I understand
although I’m only borrowing
but suddenly I clean forgot the full story
including the fact that I too was originally
once a universe
and because of this, I have
elaborated games
with that being and the whole of this
egg-shaped life
turning day and night into one another’s
dreamworlds
when I wake in another dream
I find that I’ve
unwittingly inscribed a poem
entitled “I”
1997
© Translation: 2003, Simon Patton
First published in Manoa 15:1 (2003), p. 19
Reprinted by permission of Manoa, University of Hawaii Press
I
![](/media/3/1002_poem_ck-i.gif)
© 1997, Chen Kehua
From: Engaging in a Complicated Poetry for the Sake of Death
Publisher: Tansuo wenhua, Taipei
From: Engaging in a Complicated Poetry for the Sake of Death
Publisher: Tansuo wenhua, Taipei
Poems
Poems of Chen Kehua
Close
I
me, I borrowed his bodyand that segment of the flow of time
my coming into this world was like
a surrealist painting
and from that moment – awesome –
there was grief/joy
desire, and ambition – these I understand
although I’m only borrowing
but suddenly I clean forgot the full story
including the fact that I too was originally
once a universe
and because of this, I have
elaborated games
with that being and the whole of this
egg-shaped life
turning day and night into one another’s
dreamworlds
when I wake in another dream
I find that I’ve
unwittingly inscribed a poem
entitled “I”
1997
© 2003, Simon Patton
From: Engaging in a Complicated Poetry for the Sake of Death
From: Engaging in a Complicated Poetry for the Sake of Death
I
me, I borrowed his bodyand that segment of the flow of time
my coming into this world was like
a surrealist painting
and from that moment – awesome –
there was grief/joy
desire, and ambition – these I understand
although I’m only borrowing
but suddenly I clean forgot the full story
including the fact that I too was originally
once a universe
and because of this, I have
elaborated games
with that being and the whole of this
egg-shaped life
turning day and night into one another’s
dreamworlds
when I wake in another dream
I find that I’ve
unwittingly inscribed a poem
entitled “I”
1997
© 2003, Simon Patton
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