Migration of the Mind

some squatting among thorny bushes
some scrawling along a burying tunnel
some suffocating below the rusty waterline
some trudging on a simmering desert
much running in a dark rainforest
much struggling in a stormy sea
much prisoning in a sealed moving cage
much threatening from fists
cudgels, knives, bullets and
more gnawing of my inwards
by insults in addition to injuries
but with no need for passports or visas
i have kept fleeing
flying up towards the golden sun
like a wish-winged migrant bird
leaving my heavy shadow
far behind

From: 
Vancouver




ABOUT THE POET ~
Mike Yuan, also known as Yuan Zhengming in Chinese, is a 5-time Pushcart nominee and author of two poetry collections. Growing up in a remote and impoverished village in central China, Mike received his post-secondary education in Shanghai and Tianjin, worked as a college lecturer and published several monographs in addition to many journal articles before moving to Canada as an international student. With a PhD in English from the University of Saskatchewan, Mike currently lives and works as a property manager in Vancouver. Since mid-2005, Mike Yuan has had poetry appear in more than 700 literary magazines and anthologies across 27 countries.


Last updated August 27, 2013