by Desmond Kon Zhicheng-Mingdé
a forced purgation, then left with one notation :
frontpage news folded, paper crane, then paper plane
off : are there lilies like these too
aloft off cheju island?
behind the monument to playback souls :
a beatnik, inside-out beanie to show shamrock threads
and two mothers sucking on horseradish toffee
and mary black dipping her finger into salmon rosette
and images of incoming dragons, quad of pink barnsleys
montaigne lilacs and purple elderberry in a squat :
sneak in the aperitif as an after-taste
a dry-down effect :
sine wave in a turntable treble
this is not a professional hobby, not poised
single-chip afternoon, where paths meet
slapdash : the tourists scatter, a white heron
burnt-through wing and terrified :
about to die, puddle of fire ants in an unward creep.
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ABOUT THE POET ~
Desmond Kon Zhicheng-Mingdé has edited more than ten books and co-produced three audio books. The titles span the genres of ethnography, journalism, creative nonfiction, and poetry, several edited pro bono for non-profit organizations including Sok Sabay Cambodia, Riding for the Disabled Association, and the National Volunteer & Philanthropy Centre. Previously an entertainment and lifestyle journalist, Desmond has traveled to Australia, France, Hong Kong and Spain for his stories, culminating in the authorship of the limited edition Top Ten TCS Stars for Caldecott Publishing. Trained in book publishing at Stanford University, with a theology masters (world religions) from Harvard University and fine arts masters (creative writing) from the University of Notre Dame, he is the recipient of the Hiew Siew Nam Academic Award, and Singapore Internationale Grant, with his poetry and fiction appearing in nine chapbooks, various anthologies, and over 140 literary journals. An interdisciplinary artist, Desmond also works in clay, his ceramic works housed in museums and private collections in India, the Netherlands, the UK and the US.
Last updated September 14, 2011