Poem Appearing in Chinese Translation

[Don Schaeffer]

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Anna Yin was the first Poet Laureate of Mississauga, Ontario, serving from 2015 to 2017. I was lucky enough to have a poetry correspondence 5 years ago via a poetry forum. As a result Anna asked me if she could translate some of my poems into Chinese for a cultural exchange. I was thrilled. Now she has included one of my poems in a new bi-cultural, bi-lingual compilation published by Guernica Editions with the support of the Government of Ontario and the Canada Council.

Thank you Anna.



Lifetime Performance

Don't worry,
this thing is warranteed.
When I look at the assembly
of springs and gears
so tentative. Don't worry,

this will be renewed no matter
if it dissociates and even
when the problem can't be found,
someone strong will come, gently
ease me aside, earn my trust,
beat back mysteries, replace parts
and make it run again.

Thinking about repairs
draws the poetry right out of me.
sometimes my life
does just that,
leaving me safe but
eternally uncertain.