Seven Toronto Artists in response to the poems of Leung Ping Kwan
Laura Barron, Ximena Berecochea, Gary Michael Dault, Larry Eisenstein, Holly Lee, Milena Roglic, Z'otz* Collective

Catching a Squirrel

on white sands
rustling
sunflowers
chrysanthemums
a snake held up its head tongue shooting out
casting one shadow and another
one hole and another

shocks
of grass
arch up
a grave
or secret
hair?
ear up
in there
some creature
swishing
trembling
snake
rat
lizard
or just the odd warm breeze

on white sands
yellow flowers
open
mouth
of the burrow
touches
soft petals
among wilting leaves
and ruffles
the lips yet to open
words yet to be said
touch
cactus’ thin points
that prick
hands stretched

moving sand
a lizard’s grey body
scurries by
disappears into the hole
among the grass
what’s in there?
listen
the soughing
a nest of birds
a fierce creature
secretly catches breath
bend down to call to the soil
waiting for its answer
lays fingers on the cracks
props closer
darkness
the unknown breathing
arouses
wisps of
subtle verbiage

getting hotter
in the desert
sun beating down
in silence
only
the swishing
in the grass
don’t know what it’s calling for
getting hotter
sweat streams down
life boils over
waiting for another life

April, 1979




捕松鼠

白色沙地上
瑟瑟的
向日葵
黃菊
吐信的蛇昂起頭
投下一個一個黑影
一個一個洞穴

蓬亂的草
團團
拱起
是墳墓
還是隱秘的
髮絲?
仔細聽
裏面有
綷縩的聲音
有生物
顫抖
是蛇
是鼠
是蜥蜴
還是一陣偶然的熱風?

白色沙地上
黃花
展開了
洞穴的
嘴巴
輕輕觸及
索索草葉中
柔和的花瓣
顫慄了
未開啟的唇
未說出的話
輕輕觸及
仙人掌的細刺
戳痛了
伸過去的手

一片會移動的沙
蜥蜴灰色的身體
竄過
沒入草叢
微張的洞穴
裏面是甚麼?

那嚶嚶的
細語
一窩鳥
一頭兇猛的生物
隱隱在喘息
俯身向泥土裏面呼喚
等着聽它回答
把指頭放在裂縫上
探近了
黑暗
未知的呼息
牽起了
絲絲縷縷
晦澀的言語

越來越炎熱
沙漠裏
太陽直射
寂靜中
只有
草叢裏的聲音
噝噝的
不知在叫喚甚麼
越來越炎熱
汗水流下
生命正沸騰
等待那陌生的生命

一九七九年四月