Rock Painting on the Mandela

By A’Er
Translated By Wang Ping

Translated from the Chinese

It rises from the desert into clouds
It sinks into the river of eternity
Time can’t wash away
Its short-lived glory
Like the fragrance of a Havana cigar
Or the storm of the leftists’ era
Vodka in a flask
A photo of Lennon and Yoko

Oh how we loved peace
No we were just thirsty for love
Like the Alashan in the distance
The Mongolian Plateau passes by us, whistling
As I gulp down the spirit of Erguotou

The rocks keep rising
Exposing themselves on the hills
Like locked up prisoners

The moon hangs over the Mandela’s
Painting. The rocks seem quiet
Waiting for the arrival
Of light and falling stars
We stir our cappuccino
With a spoon
Honey on the tip of the tongue

This is a strange world
When rocks arrive
Nobody will carry knives
Glistening in the dark streets
Rocks will drown us and our sheep

Notes:

This poem is part of the portfolio “Wind Crossing Grasses: Poems from Poems from China’s Dragon Rivers.” The folio is an excerpt from the forthcoming anthology of the same name, translated and edited by Wang Ping, with a co-introduction from Gary Snyder (Kinship Poetry Press, 2026). You can read the rest of the folio in the July/August 2025 issue. 

Source: Poetry (July/August 2025)