Piles of Dirt
Piles of
dirt sprout weeds that bend to stones
Rains and
worms hide humps of ancient ones
Bones poke
through to bleach in Qufu’s suns
Cypress
trees too right and left to fall
Hand
polished burls laying split and sprawled
Slabs of
entombed words are smashed or sold
Porsches now
evoke a solemn awe
To be rich
is glorious, is the saw
All the
other virtues aren’t as raw
Though
Kongzi was a hard-hit chisel
Winds would
still sculpt a person in full
Would he
have gone unfound in that hole
Piles of dirt = Ancient burial practice, found in the cemetery of
Confucius in Qifu, as well as anywhere
one looks in fields throughout China.
Cypress = Conifer known for its longevity and heavy, burled
trunks,
which are honored for the symbolism and heritage.
To be rich is glorious = Attributed to Deng Xiaoping, Chairman of
the People’s
Republic of China, and
symbol of “capitalism with Chinese characteristics.”
Kongzi = Confucius
Hole = Confucius was abandoned as an infant by his mother in a
shallow
cave because of his ugliness. Kept alive by an eagle and tiger, his mother
realized her mistake and dedicated to his education.
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