Louise Leung Fung Yee shares a poem on the theme of archiving Hong Kong.

 

 

 

Like the dress of 白衣女鬼── the green veil held by
bamboo scaffolding provides coverage
for the deceased. Buildings die naked, gentrified.

地盤佬 become part-time 喃嘛佬── an extra income to earn.
The pounding of 打樁 lays the bassline for 打齋──
Stepping between bamboos, the scaffoldings become
the foundation of 紙紮金銀橋──
修漆外牆 to help 死人化妝──
鋼根 are the 過路錢 we throw, steel in the city's bones
paid by our still-hot, anxious hands──

A building died today.
Send a 花牌 to mourn, another one
to congratulate new openings.

Green opposes red, so green-veiled
地盤 ghosts cannot haunt like 紅衣女鬼──
feetless, yet cannot float──

 

 

Louise Leung Fung Yee (b. Hong Kong, 2000) is an internationally published poet whose works usually cover postcolonialism, cultural politics, and family history. They wish to give voice to Hong Kong's localism through Kongish literature.

Imprint

Author

LEUNG Fungyee Louise

Topic
Poetry & Fiction
Date
Fri, 22 Jul 2022
Share

Relevant content

home list
(im)permanence: A Poetry Series
Part of series

(im)permanence: A Poetry Series

Visual and textual meditations from Hong Kong poets on the theme of archiving this city