The best place to
see life in Taiyuan
is to sit on the street.

Just by Xue Fu Park
on Tiyu road.

The arteries of the
city grasping for
space and meaning.

Husbands too tired to talk.
Wives waiting for the next
episode.

Fireflies searching
for a neon light.
Lost, no hope.

Street cleaners who
read Hemingway,
a mind trick for the few.

Dancing ladies who
sing the songs
of the old brigade.

Streets sellers
sharing crops, and
the pain of emptiness.

Old men playing Xiangqi,
for those who dare
not lift their eyes.

Nurtured seeds
emerging to an
unforgiving noise.

Shadows throughout the day
taken up by mesmerizing myths.

The best place to
see life in Taiyuan
is to sit on the street.