New China #1

In my family,

If a man forgets to cap his fountain pen,

My grandmother laughs and says,

"He is worried about his future."

My mother worries and says,

"He is worried about his past."

My son scolds and says,

"He is careless, not worried."

I hear only the silence.

In both my own home

and in the new China,

I prefer the mistakes of men

to the successes of gods.

Champing, May 1996

Maureen Woods McClure