Land of Four Seasons
a perfect storm
in a summerlike August sunny afternoon
the sky was suddenly covered by a giant black cloak
the cloak’s invisible train tramped across the towns
in the north of Lake Ontario
a violent storm struck
it came abruptly
stayed for around fifteen minutes
then left swiftly
the aftermath
did not show immediately
a secret revealed
in the town of Aurora
where a poet who lives in a house facing a ravine
with a sizable picture window
her eyes’ gateway to the nature scenery every day
after the storm
she saw her neighbours were standing beside the tall red maple tree
bordering the ravine and their lawns
she went there
and noticed that a piece of one of its trunks had fallen
although compared to the whole tree
this piece was relatively small
she was disturbed by the destruction
but still hoped that the tree would survive
a concerned neighbour called the town
the town arborist came to examine the tree
and delivered the verdict:
“unfortunately, for the safety of the residents,
the trees have to be cut down”
“the trees?”
the poet was puzzled
“there are actually two trees.
they grew together
embracing each other
but there was a gap between them that we could not see
when the storm hit that vulnerable spot
it was fatal”
a ballad of the twin sister red maple trees
we were two seeds in a red maple tree key
one in each wing
when a late spring breeze blew
we swirled away from our parent tree and landed on this ravine
we sprouted into two seedlings
we grew together side by side
we sip morning dew together
we breathe spring fresh air together
we flutter cheerfully in breezes together
we laugh loudly together when winds pass by
we cry together when storms and blizzards strike
our bodies embrace each other
although we have quite different characters
the younger sister is a dreamer
curious about the life of floating clouds in the sky
the elder sister
loves mundane joy and humour
we tease each other
but we stay together
we keep our dreams in our minds
while living an earthly life with joy
our luxuriant flowers bloom in spring
our offspring fly away in keys in late spring
our glorious red leaves burn in autumn sunshine
we wait patiently for spring when we are covered by snow in winter
we love the kaleidoscopic vistas surrounding us
over seasons
snowdrops open first
white-snow pedals and Pomona green pedicles
the harbinger of the spring
then blue scillas follow
although facing down
they usher in spring festivals
sweet bee balms in the summer
fragrant feasts
scarlet staghorn sumacs
passionate torches in the autumn
glaring dogwoods in the winter
fires against the frozen creek
cardinals sing
blue jays fly over
(one of them dropped a feather for the poet)
mallard ducks play in the creek
minks and coyotes
legends in the ravine
blue herons
are to be discovered
when weeping willows’ leaves fall into the creek
the creek smiles with dimples
even when the creek is frozen with ice on its surface
it flows and sings under the glaze
under the poet’s picture window
her garden flips in our kaleidoscope over the rotating and endless seasons:
puschkinia, hyacinth, daffodil, bleeding heart (荷包牡丹), tulip, fritillaria, columbine, iris,
weigela, anemone, peony, sage, rose, poppy, blazing star, firewheel, snapdragon, primrose,
impatience, coral bells, cardinal flower, milkweed, butterfly bush, cosmos, coneflower,
beautyberry, nasturtium, hydrangea
through the picture window
we see flamingo flower, bromeliad and orchid
flowers like fires and butterflies
that the poet loves and puts beside the window
awakening
a CBC headline on May 27, 2021:
Remains of 215 children found buried at former B.C.
residential school
The Chinese Canadian National Council Toronto Chapter’s statement
“As Chinese settlers of this land, we directly benefit from settler colonialism in many ways. The
long and complex history of Indigenous-Chinese relations is one of complicity in displacement
and colonization but also one of solidarity. Chinese railway workers, who were themselves
exploited, helped construct the Canadian Pacific Railway, which played a crucial role in the
displacement and colonization of Indigenous peoples. Injured Chinese workers who were left to
die by their employers were often taken in, cared for, and sheltered by Indigenous nations.
Chinese communities in Canada must unpack, unlearn, educate, and transform our attitudes and
thought processes. And this must underlie a commitment to action towards decolonization.”
Yafang Shi is an artist, poet, and journalist. As a settler and immigrant woman, her work
considers gender, race, class, censorship, body, and identity from a decolonial, intersectional and
transnational feminist perspective. Her writings have been published by Ricepaper Magazine and
anthologized in Toward the North: And Other Stories by Chinese Canadian Authors (Inanna,
2018) and Migrating Birds: Contemporary Chinese-Canadian Women’s Writings (Taiwan
Shang Wu Yin Shu Guan, 2009), among others. Her photographic artwork, paired with her
poetry, has been exhibited at solo and group exhibitions at various galleries and museums,
universities, public libraries, and the CONTACT Photography Festival.