Poetry Garden

I have never been to Hanshan Lake,
I have only read of it in poets’ verses.
Yet through countless lonely nights,
I always dream of Hanshan Lake—
its clear, untouched waters,
the rolling ridges of mountains,
the soothing blue of the sky,
and birds soaring in flight—
all appear vividly before me.

I even dream of walking hand in hand
with the love of my life by that beautiful lake,
strolling in the rain, smiling of the future.
We promised to settle there,
to entrust our lives to that land,
to breathe its pure, clear air each day.

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Qiu Yulan, from Xingning, Meizhou, Guangdong. Works have appeared in Film Pictorial, Hometown Literature, Jiangmen Literature, Huizhou Literature, Nan Ye, and Dapeng Bay, often focusing on migrant worker experiences.