Poems
What I Saw
我所目睹的一切
May 25, 2026
On more than one night I lowered my mother’s rented bed
不止一个夜晚，我降下了母亲租来的病床。
so it would be level with my futon bed in a room
这样一来，它就能与我房间里蒲团床的高度齐平了。
of my little sister’s house, where my sister and brother-in-law
在我妹妹的房子里，那里住着妹妹和妹夫。
had made a hospice out of what had been an office.
将曾经的办公室改造成了一间临终关怀所。
I laid my head on the place between my mother’s still-warm
我将头枕在母亲尚有余温的胸口。
arm and chest, closed my eyes, and cried,
我闭上双眼，双臂与胸膛一同颤抖，放声痛哭。
and because it was just her and me, I sucked my thumb
因为当时只有她和我两个人，我便吮起了大拇指。
in that way children do, where they wrap their pointer finger
孩子们总是那样，用食指紧紧勾住你的手。
over the bridge of their nose. What I saw was a yellow kitchen,
越过他们的鼻梁，我看到了一间黄色的厨房。
two brown bags of groceries, and a woman
两袋棕色的杂货，还有一个女人。
putting the groceries away. No empty cave where a body
把买来的食品杂货归置好。没有空荡荡的洞穴，能容下一具身躯。
had been, no stinging light from Heaven. No group of women
曾经，没有来自天堂的刺眼光芒，也没有一群女人。
attending the scene. Just cans of soup, pasta sauce, orange juice.
现场所见，只有汤罐头、意面酱、橙汁。