Introduction

It had to be from someone whose grandparents were born in Shanghai not the city’s greatest citizens, but certainly among the sober ones to make their small now eroded mark It had to be from a distant or dissolute descendant (yes,moi) who can sing praises unworthy of even a flicker of your attention Doesn’t this sound like it might turn into a love poem or a prayer Well, you are wrong, because a man of the people, which I am not nor will I ever be, doesn’t single out one above all others as this is a hierarchical construction and therefore undemocratic and antihumanist It had to be from someone whose virtues do not include stubbornness, patience, gentleness, loyalty, or truthfulness It had to be from someone who could take my place after I left the room never to return It had to be from someone who didn’t exist before this poem began writing itself down