Two Poems—
MIRROR & SONNET
Tse HAO GUANG (謝皓光)
not the mirror image but the reverse side of the mirror
melon field
under the plums
your mouth is cotton she accused
where once feet were bound
if I contort masked
to our pri
vilege
the great Chinese loneliness
you scratch
teeth you don’t
tie your
shoes
don’t
tidy your hat
Sonnet for the relative elasticity of your skin
ten crease origami box of sun
flower seed—wild bronze
water
buffalo giclée print
—blotched wine,
taut on napkin— rumours
of smoke
rings chafe against nose—the lynx glare
forgotten dimple &
taste
the organ of touch—you,
cloaked in nakedness,
kumquat
rind, flayed
Tse Hao GUANG (謝皓光) is the author of hyperlinkage (2013) and Deeds of Light (2015, both Math Paper Press), the latter shortlisted for the 2016 Singapore Literature Prize. He co-edits the cross-genre, collaborative e-journal OF ZOOS, and UnFree Verse (2017), the anthology of Singapore poetry in received and nonce forms. He serves as essays editor of the online educational / critical resource poetry.sg, and is a 2016 fellow of the International Writing Program.