Virgil Suárez
What Li Po Would Have Said of Jackie Chan Movies
He moves lotus-flower smooth, a silken flash
on the screen. This is how the tiger stalks
its prey. Along the stem of a rose, a praying mantis
waiting for its victim. A silkworm threading a nest
in all the trees on a cool, foggy morning, their breath
some ancient language of spirits. This charm
found only in ladybugs, their orange blush
against the wisteria blossoms. Allow
thoughts of frangipani, the hibiscus ecstasy, enough rice wine
to quench our thirst, sure, but also put us to sleep
so we can dream of all this sacred action, how bodies
still themselves against our rising sorrows. Raise
your cup, toast the moon, the silver screen, for such
a man comes only once in a lifetime, this poet
of swift kicks. A smile like a blue setting sun.
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