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Picking Cherries

on a summer afternoon
i take my little allen
far to a field near the forest
of some cheerful cherry trees
where he could jump wildly
on ever-naked soil
finger the freshness of fruit
and smell the scarlet of nature
letting the wanton wind
blow hard and straight
through his limbs and senses
long numbed in the city pen
by the heavy grey of cement
it is really fun, dad
and the cherries are so delicious
yes, but the trees are hard to grow, son

From: 
Vancouver
Copyright ©: 
Mike Yuan



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

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