Formosan Elegy

for Charles You have lived six decades     and you have lived none You have loved many     and you have loved no one You wedded three wives       but you lie in your cold bed alone You sired four children     but they cannot forgive you Knock at emptiness    a house without your love Strike the pine box     no answer    all hollow You planted plums near the gate     but they bear no fruit You raised herbs in the veranda     fresh and savory I cry for you     but no sound wells up in my throat I sing for you     but my tears have dried in my gullet Walk the old dog     give the budgies a cool bath Cut a tender melon     let it bleed into memory The robe you washed     hangs like a carcass flayed The mug you loved       is stained with old coffee Your toothbrush is silent        grease mums your comb Something's lost        something's made strong Around the corner    a new prince yearns to be loved A fresh turn of phrase       a bad strophe erased A random image       crafts itself into a poem A sleepless Taipei night       a mosquito's symphony Who will cry for you    me and your sister Colette Who will cry for you    me and your Algerian sister You were a rich man    but you held on to your poverty You were a poor man    who loved gold over dignity I sit near your body bag       and sing you a last song I sit near your body bag      and chant your final sutra What's our place on earth?     nada       nada       nada What's our destiny?       war     grief     maggots     nada Arms      cheeks    cock     femur    eyelids    nada Cowl     ox      lamb     vellum    marrow    nada Vulva      nada     semen    nada    ovum    nada Eternity     nada       heaven    nada    void    nada Birth and death the same blackened womb Birth and death the same white body bag Detach     detach we enter the world alone Detach     detach we leave the world bone lonely If we can't believe in god       we must believe in love We must believe in love       we must believe in love And they zip you up        in your white body bag White body bag        white    white     body       bag