Umbrella

seldom have you failed
to offer me
a ready shelter
against a sudden shower
the pressing hands of clocks
all ticking above the horizons
whose every beating
i spread like a spray
as if flirting with you
in a private oasis
yet with the west wind rising
you become a saggy sail
exposing me to the annoying tongues
trying to bite afar from the winter
or blown upside down
dragging my off my course
as i strive to hold you
tightly in hand

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 September 28, 2013