Hui-qing's Letter
Huang Hui-qing, wrote me a letter
but I wasn't sure what it said, because
I'd forgotten much of my Chinese.
So I took Hui-qing's letter
(her English name was Nellie)
to my girlfriend's parents, who are also Chinese
And asked them
to translate the letter for me.
Yet, surprisingly
They said they could not.
So I gave Hui-qing's letter, to another friend
who had a friend
from China.
And I asked her, to ask her friend
to translate the letter for me.
Yet, again
She said she could not.
So I sent Hui-qing's letter, to a friend in New York
And I said
as I had said to all the others:
I have not heard from this girl, for three years.
When I left China
I did not say a proper good-bye, and recently
I wrote to her, and this is her reply.
Soon thereafter
My friend returned the letter
and this is what it said:
We are Hui-qing's parents, and we are sad to say
That our only child, our beautiful Hui-qing
died soon after you left China.
She had gone to Guangzhou Province, to follow her dreams
as an actress
yet, as you know
she had a heart condition.
She fell into a coma, and she passed away.
Included in the translation, was a poem
that Hui-qing's parents had taken, from her diary
about me
Wondering why I had left, without saying good-bye
But wishing me a bright future.
Huang Hui-qing, wrote me a letter
but I wasn't sure what it said, because
I'd forgotten much of my Chinese.
______________
regards,
JS |
