Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Poetry 2017 | Page 174

The red guards seized the city; caught it by its throat
Sliced it clean
And created a new cult.
Amongst all the chaos,
The guards spared the lamp.
It was old and fragile,
With rusts, bumps and scars engraved on its shins.
Time had taken its toll
One night, its lean body was put down
And carried away.
It was placed into a run-down hotel
Where the lamp was left to rot.
1990s
The last decade
The lamp has survived the 20 th century.
Researchers found it lying under rubbles and ruins.
They carefully lifted it up,
Washed it clean
And refurbished it.
Scholars and artists threw longing gazes on it.
Amazed by its every curve and slant,
Awed by its history.
The lamp was overwhelmed by this renewed sensation.
It became the new icon of the old times,
When people still created and lived their dreams.
Its heritage was honored in an auction,