Poetry by Ma Lan: For Him, No. 5 给他之五

For Him, No. 5

Handling a vase
Slicing open a fruit
How much longer will I live
How much longer can I wait for you
Man walks erect but is not tall
Man hurries by but has no speed
I slide toward you on the edge of the morning
With calligraphic arabesques
An attitude already conceptualized
Language is everybody's face
Running wildly away amid the frustration of communication
My choice of him awaits him
To approach quietly takes time
Time is our common waiting
Or bullets more pure than time.

July 1996, New York

给他之五


手握一个花瓶
切开一块水果
如此快的日常生活
我们来日无多

人自立行走没有高度
人匆匆而过没有速度


我在街角向你滑来
以书法的姿态
姿态已经概念化了
语言是脸
在沟通的困惑中狂奔而去

午后的我们
在等待谁的果实
需要时间
时间是我们共同的等待
一粒比比时间更纯结的
子弹



(1996，7。纽约)