EDUCATION BY SNOW By Wang Fugang

EDUCATION BY SNOW

By Wang Fugang

At dusk, lonely snowflakes arrive like guests in the north,

a passionate young poet, a little melancholy,

came to a small stingy inn that sells home brew,

looking to buy the best imported liquor.

He chats up the innkeeper to talk about poet Li Shangyin.

but the innkeeper knows only poet Li Po.

He presumes to call the barmaid My Little Sister,

but this little sister must sweep and wash.

Using a public phone, he calls up a girl

he once spent time with counting the stars. He says:

more snowflakes now than the stars we counted.

But he is a failed mathematics professor,

owns a million pounds but the little inn

offers no silky sweet wine, only coarse home brew.

About the poet:

Wang Fugang, born on December 26, 1969 in Wulian, Shandong Province, now lives in Jinan. He is a recipient of the Qilu Literature Prize and other honors. He is a member of the China Writers Association and Poet‑in‑Residence at Capital Normal University. He has published several poetry collections including Poems, or Songs.