A Forest of Names (December) by Ian Boyden
[Throughout 2018, we have committed to publishing a selection of poems from each month of Ian Boyden’s manuscript “A Forest of Names.” Over the course of a year, Boyden translated the 5,196 names of schoolchildren crushed in the 2008 Sichuan Earthquake. He then began a collection of poems, each written on the day of each child’s birth. An in-depth discussion of these poems can be read in “Fault Line: An Introduction to A Forest of Names.” —Eds.]
Detail from Ai Weiwei: Fault Line. In the foreground are marble replica of twisted iron rebar pulled from one of the schools that collapsed in the Sichuan Earthquake (Rebar and Case, 2014). In the background is the wall covered with the list of 5,196 names of schoolchildren killed in earthquake. Photograph by Ian Boyden.
DECEMBER 1
正函
Just Correspondence
The tongue like a bow.
Even after a thousand years,
words chosen carefully
still hit their mark.
DECEMBER 2
雪庭
Snow Courtyard
The hand of snow upon the gavel.
A white sentence under a dark sky
beyond innocence and guilt.
DECEMBER 4
瑩玲
Lustrous Ringing
Green fire of stone cup,
wine of translucent earth,
our chests tighten
on the simplest words.
DECEMBER 5
揚帆
Unfurled Sail
He hoisted the sail
to find a golden hand
waving from sun-filled water.
DECEMBER 9
冬玲
Winter Ringing
The earth rows its boat around the sun,
striking the drum of winter,
its wake deafening white.
DECEMBER 10
普霞
Red-Washed Sky
We think the cloud is the body,
but it is the rain that feeds the roots of sleep.
DECEMBER 11
翠玉
Kingfisher Jade
On the branch above the river
the winged-stone waits
to fall into the scaled-stone
dreaming of flight.
DECEMBER 12
馮艷
Galloping Beauty
Blooms in a handful of dust
the color of running horses.
DECEMBER 13
彬航
Refined Boat
The helmsman wanders the forest,
following oar marks
on moss-covered ground.
DECEMBER 15
菲
Fragrant Radish
It grew with such delight,
red heart of soil,
its roots tangled
in the broken wings of a bird.
DECEMBER 22
柯岑
Axe Handle Hill
Where the mountain balanced
on the crest of a moment,
his name branched into the possible.
DECEMBER 23
吳愁
Anxiety
“No Worry!” they called. “No Worry!”
Still, autumn rides the heart
with winter in her arms.
DECEMBER 24
光磊
Luminous Pile of Stones
Our names hewn of sound.
He struck the ancient chimes
with arms of unearthly fire.
DECEMBER 25
代揚
Dynastic Scatter
The dandelion’s silver
floats on our breath,
each flower a measure
of the sun-tossing hand.
DECEMBER 31
全波
Complete Wave
When at last he opened his eyes,
they saw the undulating jade of a new year.
Read more from Ian Boyden’s “A Forest of Names” in the following links:
“Introduction to ‘A Forest of Names'”
A Forest of Names — January selections
A Forest of Names — February selections
A Forest of Names — March selections
A Forest of Names — April selections
A Forest of Names — May selections
A Forest of Names — June selections
A Forest of Names — July selections
A Forest of Names — August selections
A Forest of Names — September selections
A Forest of Names — October selections
