POEM: "Shanghai Yangpu Lilong"

Shanghai Yangpu Lilong

                                                     for JR & Sue Anne Tay

Her huge portrait grips the wall
An errant balloon has run its course
Surrounded by demolition rubble
Now lodged against a period gutter
She nailed memory as long as she could
The children the stories and the pain
Yearning to return her old home love
The photographer nailed one image
Against the need for ever going back
But what does he really hope for this
How can any big picture tell the truth
Of one part dead and one part still lives
I wonder about the shape of her bed
Whether it provides proper dreams.

© 2014 Rob Schackne

photo by permission © 2010 Sue Anne Tay
www.shanghaistreetstories.com