WILLIAM ZHOU

WILLIAM ZHOU

Theresa Reaching Out

My Soothing Hand

Poetry taking me into India

October leading me into Calcutta

Theresa reaching out

my soothing hand

Comforting the poor, the sick and the dying

Comforting the hardship, the disappointed and the sad

Comforting the faults of mankind

Comforting the wounds of the earth

Comforting the weeping hearts

At Theresa's former home

Her palm is downward, not moving

My palm is also downward, alive

My living palms

Comforting the scars of history

Comforting the repentance of the guided missile

Comforting the tears of orphans and solitary old persons

Comforting the hunger of 800 million people

Theresa's motionless hand

Still comforting the hope of mankind

My hands as green leaves in wind

Comforting the buds of time

Flowers

For Gandhi's New Statue

The 150th anniversary of Gandhi's birth

I came to India on the wings of poetry

to Bhubaneswar in Orissa

I entered gelingjia college with legend

When the music, dancing and flowers heated the sunshine

I looked up while wiping the golden sweat

A new Gandhi statue standing upright

Poets from 82 countries

holding the flowers in their hands

to pay a tribute to the Mahatma of India

I holding the yellow flowers and the time

presenting to Gandhi who walking with a stick

saluting to the nonviolent non-cooperation movement

Mr Gandhi, you were poorer than I am

But you living as the soul of a nation

You used humiliation, pain, disease and hunger strike

You used faith, thought, morality and dedication

to win national independence and world respect

You were shot and fell down in religious hatred

You've lifted and become a human star

I dipped the flowers in the tears of peace

putting them gently on your resurrected body

Please open your eyes to see

The world is still a place of violence and war

Please hold your breath to listen

How many missiles and planes are killing lives

I dipped the flowers in the tears of time

putting them slowly on your resurrected heart

Oh, the great changing and turbulent world

Does it need a new Gandhi?

India Song And Dance

You sing the joy of the snow water from Himalayan

You dance over the waves and clouds in the Ganges River

Your hands, waist and foot bells of dancing

Drawing the smile and illusion of Hindu God

The melody and voice of heaven of your songs

Raising the laughter of the Indian Ocean

Singing and dancing for art on the stages with light

Singing and dancing for life on dirt roads of villages

Singing and dancing like flowers to please God

Singing and dancing with tears and sweat to relax

Eagles dancing in the air, birds singing in the wind

Green is dancing in the woods, yellow is singing in the dust

Only cattle leisurely and carefree outside the singing and dancing

Only dogs resting and sleeping outside the dancing and singing

The subcontinent holding the Himalayas, singing and dancing

Hot India embracing the Indian Ocean, singing and dancing

Singing and dancing brought a multi-ethnic combination

Singing and dancing brought the independence of the colony

Singing and dancing brought Tagore's poems

Singing and dancing makes Gandhi's spirit shining

Singing and dancing makes Teresa's heart lighting

Crows flying and singing over the temples

Eagles flying and dancing for the faith

WILLIAM ZHOU

WILLIAM ZHOU: Published Chinese, English and translated works in literary journals at home and abroad. He has won three National Poetry awards and three international poetry awards. Published four poetry collections. He was invited to attend the World Congress of Poets eight times. Some poems have been translated and published in eight foreign languages. He is now a life member of the World Poet Congress, a member of the Chinese Poetry Society.