We three met
Beneath the Eye In the Sky,
Above the green-blue lake.
You two were sent for a lesson;
I met you to escape.
Stories from long ago
And old films that you two know
Are shining new to me.
One of you loves me
And to the other
I made love.
But in teaching me your lessons,
(Balzac is our favourite!)
You have taught me not to love.
Let us lie here under the sky
Unwatched by others’ eyes,
Away from what you know.
One day you will accept this place,
But then, I will need to go.
Years from now, if you return,
You will still not find me.
Look for my name
On a candle-lit, paper boat,
In the twilight of
Zhongyuanjie
On the blue-green lake.
On the last day of Zhongyuanjie (Hungry Ghost Day), Many families float river lanterns on little boats in the evening. People make colorful lanterns out of wood and paper, and families write their ancestors’ name on the lanterns. The ghosts are believed to follow the floating river lanterns away. Mai’s name may be one one of the lanterns. Luo swims out into the lake to find her.
