A Visit

This poem is an English translation selected from the first section, "A Visit" (巡礼), of the Chinese poetry journal Workers' Poetry Selection (《打工诗选刊》).

Single Bed

It resembles a soldier retired from the front lines,
its body tightly wrapped in packing tape.
Less than one square meter in area—
you could call it a bed,

or you could call it a home.
But I call it a nest—
the "nest" of a golden palace,
the "nest" of a dog's kennel.

Its previous owner left nothing behind,
except the words, "So-and-so lived here once."
Stroke by stroke, the characters resemble a departure—
some strokes blurred and clinging,
others heavy with reluctance,
leaving me sitting dazed for a long while,
unable to unroll the three-foot reed mat.

Yet, with just a gentle spread,
it would be ready for sleep.

This bed—
it has only the hardness of wood and iron.

It could not be simpler,
but for a wandering migrant worker,
it means home, a house, a place of belonging.

Wang Jiayou, originally from Hengyang, Hunan, is a poet, bestselling author, and management expert. His works have been published in numerous journals and newspapers, including Poetry Journal, Poetry Selection, The Thatched Hall, Star Poetry Journal, Green Wind Poetry Journal, Zhiyin, Liaoning Youth, Yangcheng Evening News, and Workers' Daily. He is the author of the novel Dongguan Beauty and management books such as Growing with the Company and Twenty Years of Bizarre Management Phenomena. He serves as an editorial board member for Migrant Worker Poets and edits the WeChat public account Thumb Poetry Journal. His poetic philosophy: "Every poem encounters the soul."

《单人床》

它像一个从前线退下来的伤员

周身被封箱胶纸紧紧包裹

一平方不到的面积

你可以把它叫床

也可以把它叫家

而我把它叫窝，金窝的窝，狗窝的窝

它的前主人什么都没留下

只留有〝某某在此一住〞的字样

字的一笔一画，像一个人的离别

有些粘连不清，有些沉重不舍

搞得我愣坐了半天

还没有打开一尺二寸的草席

其实只轻轻铺开，就可以睡觉

这张床，它只有木板和铁的硬度

它简陋得不能再简陋

但对于一个流浪的打工者

意味着是家、是房子、是归宿

王家有，籍贯湖南衡阳，诗人、畅销书作家、管理专家。于《诗刊》《诗选刊》《草堂》《星星诗刊》《绿风诗刊》《知音》《辽宁青年》《羊城晚报》《工人日报》等刊物发表作品若干。著有长篇小说《东莞丽人》，管理著作《与公司同成长》《二十年目睹管理怪现状》等。《打工诗人》编委，主编微信公众号《拇指诗刊》。诗观：每一首诗与灵魂相遇。