A Pond of Lotuses

A traditional Chinese image of lotuses: "Out of dirty mud, yet not sullied by it."

Look, those lotuses in blossom,
how they put up their show in grace,
women in love with their hearts wide open.
Look, those round leaves surround their queens,
a green smile spreading with secrets.
Look, those fishes and turtles underneath,
in the wood of lotus stems rooted in mud,
they play hide-and-seek.

X. Z. Shao
Copyright ©2003 X. Z. Shao