Fan Jinghua: Childhood

　　　　Childhood
I
Still remember your index finger nail
Blackened by ink
When we learned to write with a brush
Tracing the printed strokes
But it is thirty years later we learned people color their nails

II
Schoolbags were the simplest bags
One strap stitched to a small sack
Mine was dark blue, always dusty
Books were seen through holes
Yours was red, and I never knew
Those were patches or ornamental flowers
There were things common between us, though
We all wore the bags on the right shoulder
And let them hang down on the left
When school was over, the bags jumped all the way home

III
On the way home from school
I used to pinch off a wild thistle flower and throw it onto the river
Following it
When it was stopped by a cattail, I stopped too
Until a fish forged through (it must be a snakehead)
The flower floated on
I walked on
The sun was setting, so soon

IV
It was after nightfall when I came home
My dad spanked me and drove me out during supper
Next day, you handed me a piece of corn pancake
And I felt the penalty had been worthwhile
I told you
When people were having their meal
There was a very bright shooting star, lingering long in the sky
Only I had seen


　　童年

　一
描红时
你左手食指
总会沾到墨汁
几十年后才知道有人涂指甲油

　二
书包是一个简单的袋子
从右肩斜挂到左胯
我的是陈旧的蓝色，有灰尘
补丁经常来不及堵住口子
你的书包上，我从来就没弄懂
那是补丁还是花
惟一相同的是
放学路上我们的书包都会跳

　三
摘一朵野花
扔在河面上，跟着走
当水草挡住它，我也站住
直到有鱼儿撞草 （肯定是黑鱼）
花儿继续漂
我继续走
太阳就西沉了

　四
天黑之后才回家
被爸爸掌掴一顿
晚饭时罚站在门外
第二天，你带给我一小块饼
我顿时觉得被罚很值
于是我告诉你
当人们都在吃饭的时候
有一颗很亮很亮的流星，特别地长
只有我看见
　　　　　　　2008年2月11日