PIECES: Sheila Melvin, "Two or Three Things about Mr. Lu Xun" (2014); Pankaj Mishra, "The Western Model Is Broken" (2014)

Ms Melvin's fine piece goes into my Abiding Admiration for Lu Xun file. Mr Pankaj Mishra as usual turns an intelligent screw. He might even be channelling Lu Xun. Below is an old thing of mine, small (and certainly out of breath) in such company.

http://english.caixin.com/2014-10-31/100745459.html

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/oct/14/-sp-western-model-broken-pankaj-mishra?CMP=fb_gu

........................................

To Lu Xun, From The Iron House

Locked inside the iron house

Seventeen others are snoring

There are no windows anywhere

No ventilation means we’re dying

(Getting sleepy too, I’ll lie down soon)

We have attempted the Big Breakout

We have filled our bodies with Blood

We have hammered and screamed for it

It? I mean of course we went for our lives

Like threshing machines, no help for it

No one from outside came to our rescue

No friends, no lovers, no family came

Though at one point we imagined voices

Crying a strange word that sounded like KEEZ

Which we all stripped buck naked for

Which we shook our dictionaries for

Which we questioned the waiting children for

And we looked deep into each other’s eyes.

  

© 2013 Rob Schackne