To Liu Wen, The Opposite House, 3 a.m.

Mask the anguish behind
A radiant smile and disarming words
My mind a pile of shards
My limbs lazy
And all that I recall is a beauteous, alcohol-deluded flash
When your sunlight laughter dulled my pain
Break these secrets of your triumph
Pull the earth out from under me
Suzie Wong’s foundered world
Spellbound scene of my cure
And I remember a beauteous, alcohol-deluded flash
When your sunlight laughter dulled my pain
When ordeal and longing let loose my heart
When your understated passion showed
And I’ll be holding onto all your sweet disclosures
All your unspoken clues that keep alive your mystery
I’ll be trying hard to understand your beauty
And your gracious spirit that triggered off my healing