¡@

                                 Counting Fingers     by Wang Yi Jie¤ý«³¼ä

¡@

¡Ktwo, three, four¡K

Wrinkled hands, rugged fingers, swollen knuckles

It¡¦s my grandma that I saw

Counting fingers with five circles.

¡Ksix, seven, eight¡K

How forceful these wearied hands

Impel million years away.

Yet

¡Keight, seven, six¡K

Rosy cheeks, limpid eyes, pursed lips

She remembers when she was a child

Counting fingers in the sugar cane field.

¡Ka, i, u, e, o¡K

Time, retreating.

Memory, retrieving.