THE RUMBLE OF THUNDER, METAPHORICALLY SPEAKING By Nan Qiu

THE RUMBLE OF THUNDER,

METAPHORICALLY SPEAKING

By Nan Qiu

No sign of heavy rain despite the incessant rumble of thunder.

A premonition that I better heed.

At least I should be fully attentive to analyzing the source.

A lot like someone crying along cry but there are no tears.

A lot like a long rehearsing without saying a line on stage.

A lot like a mansion with open doors but no one comes and goes.

A lot like a Taoist monk reciting incantations but no relatives are present.

A lot like a protagonist in an epic novel who has yet to appear.

Perhaps this world is an illusion, only the rumble of thunder is real.

It strikes a contrary note that thunder rumbles high and far

but is incapable of human pathos. Perhaps thunder struggles to communicate,

and we are far too preoccupied with other things.

About the poet:

Nan Qiu, whose real name is Lian Zhandou, was born in 1964 in Datian County, Fujian Province. He is a member of the Fujian Writers Association and chairman of the Datian County Writers Association. In 1990, he participated in the 2nd National Modern Poetry Group Exhibition of Poetry Press as part of the "Fujian Sanjia Lane" poetry group. He has published five poetry collections, including The Language of the Sun, The Key to the Field, The Staircase of Light and Shadow, The Kiss of Heaven and Earth, and The Heartbeat of the Earth. His works have been published in publications such as Stars, Journal of Selected Poems, Poetry Monthly, and Fujian Literature. He advocates that poetry requires no deliberate techniques but pursues naturalness; it should not be confined to specific schools but draw insights from both ancient and modern works; and it should not be judged by its length or style but embrace works that are broad and profound.