Bomb of My Hometown Sings the Balm of My Hometown1
furrow 1
the well-done old fragrance of my fl eshis a living mountain of bones bleeding with fl owerswith lucky peach fl owers, fuzzy fl esh fl owers, real baby azaleasa crying spell, a fi re ritual, a recovering metal petal palace neighborhood
circle dance 1
bomb of my hometowni try to hold on to the grime from my time playing in my body
furrow 2
flower independence, bird independencepeak village, new villagemy not yet ancient birthplacevillage wherewhen desire callsfrom the south of blueet cetera weepingwillows dancein the creekof net songs
circle dance 2
home bombi miss becoming inside the morning glow there [End Page 72]
furrow 3
my late habitus incensevapes acid marrowfl avored in peach, apricot& honey-transmission-fl owerHD rainbowa huge vacancy fi lledwith Kpop beautiesa movement of yes
circle dance 3
home balmum, to pine for the perfect moment playing in mind
furrow 4
a botanical gardena gathering of distancesmy former former hometown
when the wind whistlesin from the troubledfi elds of otherplacethe community wheredevelopment buddiesrave in streams
circle dance 4
balm of my hometowngod, how i long for the springtime i stayed free of labor inside [End Page 73]
Angela F. Qian has published writing in Witness, The Common, Hyphen, Lit Hub, Gay and other outlets. She co-curated the Sweet & Sour Readings in New York City, and is currently at work on a short story collection, as well as other projects. Her website can be found at angelafqian.com and she tweets @anqchan.
Footnotes
1. "Bomb of My Hometown Sings the Balm of My Hometown" is an experimental translation of the Korean children's song "고향의 봄" (Gohyangui bom).
