Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Poetry 2017 | Page 70

Longua Temple - Chinese New Year in the 1800’s
Chinese International School, Sun, Adrian – 12
Vivid explosions like a lotus flower bursting in the night sky,
Coloring it with ruby red like a dragon’s flames

And emerald green as bright as a jade Buddha.

The radiating fireworks fly over the tip of the towering Long Hua Temple,
An array of brilliant beauty followed by the unpleasant smell of rotten eggs.
The dazzling fireworks explode into the moonlit sky with a deafening crackle
To scare away the Nian that haunt the streets at night
Walking through the crowded Longhua garden,
I inhale the rich and oaky smell as steam fills the air

Dancing its way through the gleaming bright lights,

Hanging down from the wooden food stalls.

The sizzling sound of spring rolls entices me

And the smell of freshly baked rice cake plays with my nostrils.
Handing over a copper coin,
Ravenously, I sink my teeth into the luscious snacks.
Looking up, I see the Longhua Pagoda,

A towering red structure reaching high up in the sky,

With the roof’s edge s curling out at the very end

And dangling bells hanging down from the tips,

Creating a exuberant ringing sound in the wind.

An ancient, wooden staircase leads up to the seventh floor.

I am tiny and insignificant against the tallest building in Shanghai.
Engrossed by monks chanting,

I am lured into the Grand Hall of the Great Sage.

At the entrance way, a colossal statue of Buddha catches my eye.
Wearing a golden glossy robe, it is raised high above the worshipers.
The five hundred golden statues glisten and glimmer in the lantern light
And the room is scented with cassia and sandalwood,
The billowing smoke of fires from the courtyard fills the night.
Suddenly a resounding “bong” rings in my ear,
As I hear the sound of a prodigious, bronze bell dangling from the Bell Tower.
On New Year’s Eve, it’s hit 108 times,
As the number brings good fortune to mankind.
Every time the bell rings,

A firework is lit up displaying an array of color,

Starting the new year with multitudes of amber, lilac and indigo.
Nian: A mythological beast that lives in the mountains or sea, and haunts the streets on Chinese New
Year to attack people.