Chanming Yuan

originated in the east

a horizontal line

kept moving toward the west

point by point

until it rose, standing straight

like the axis of the earth

to be identical with the first person singular

with or without a serif at the top

with or without a support at the bottom

until 1 and i became one and the same

presenting itself as a unity

one that is its own factorial

its own square, its own cube, the identity

For multiplicities, derived from tai chi or nothingness

First of all there was, there has been

 

Changming Yuan is a 4-time Pushcart nominee and author of Allen Qing Yuan.  He holds a PhD in English and tutors in Vancouver, where he edits Poetry Pacific at poetrypacific.blogspot.ca. Yuan’s poetry appears in 599 literary publications across 23 countries, including Asia Literary Review, Best Canadian Poetry, BestNewPoemsOnline, Exquisite Corpse, LiNQ and London Magazine.