under mao zedong
we had starry nights
we had vast starry skies
people lifting their heads
one summer night
it was father and i
father told me
about the universe
about a cosmonaut
yuri gagarin
flying in space
my mouth stood open
like a barn door
thank you, father
my heavenly father
in a dark corner
of north korea
measuring 9,600,000
square kilometres
among hundreds of millions
malnourished blockheads
i was the smartest
did not see the future
but i saw space
2003. Translated from the Chinese by Martin Winter.
Photo: The landing of the Shenzhou 10 spacecraft on June 26, 2013. Via News.cn.
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