Cela Xie
无名 My Nameless God
痛 I heard the cry of breaking jade,
鸣 like the pang of piercing my ear.
穿 My pendant was in three pieces.
耳 My earring was gold and round.
佛 The jade was carved with buddha.
道 The gold was faceless and pure.
无 Can an image of god be broken?
形 The break is the shape of god.
不 Should I fill the crack with silver,
掭 or let the separate whole remain?
锦 I watch the light run from the edge.
花 My nameless gold waits in my ear.
Translation:
无名: nameless
痛鸣: cry of pain
穿耳: pierce the ear
佛道: Buddha and Dao
无形: formless
不掭锦花: do not gild the lily
Bio
Cela Xie is a poet of twenty-five years who has accomplished nothing in particular, except writing for almost two decades. In that time, he has written one thousand, three hundred and seventy-eight poems, forty-three short stories, and one draft of a memoir. He is currently pursuing an MFA at North Carolina State University. His poetry has been published by The Pierian and poetryfest, and a collection of twelve poems is forthcoming from betweenthehighway press in December 2024.