A picture I took: River Fen: Taiyuan City, Shanxi Province. China.

On this early morning
the clouds are listless
and foreign shone.
The street cleaners,
bent to the wind
sweep away the
faded remnants from
jubilant patriotic days.

An old man is placed outside,
a thousand days before.
Still left with lonely regret.
He learnt the secrets
of distance long ago.

The radio switched
to a distant broadcast.
Plays the lopped faded voices
from mountain retreats,
that talk of days of flags
and queens.

And Autumn traps
the fading light.
A wakened echo that once
held a mighty rage.