Mindy Zhang: Sappho's Lover

　　Sappho's Lover (From “Voice-Over: A Suite”)
　　　　　　by Mindy Zhang

Your sexuality is the last weapon you own.
You are wise, and you know
Less exposure means stronger killing power.
Let those eager to unfold show the secrets of their lesser tricks.

You stand, but not as a pose, your skirt-hem not flaring, hair in a bun,
eyes focused (yes, whoever watches you, you look back flat).
You do not even need to compose poems. You are a poem.
But those honey-skinned fresh souls, flying around,

with hungered eyes and lips, charming as yours,
with bouncy desires and burgeoning thirst for knowledge
resorting to no scheming, craftiness or worldly sophistication…
I can always find excuses to pardon them.

You are beaming as before, with a smile barely perceptible
and jealousy tucked into the pleats of your dress or into your dewlaps.
You do not toy with the trick of “-isms,” and yet
you are still the born killer, leaving me terminally unrecoverable.
　　　　　　　　　　　　　March 2010

　　　萨福的情人
　　　　　　　　　明迪
最后，你只剩下性别，这唯一的武器。
你很明智，知道越不展示，越有杀伤力。
而那些急于解开自己，亮出所谓秘密
的小把戏，一旦揭穿，就不再具有任何威力。

你不摆动裙衫，也不摆弄姿势，长发盘起，
目光专注（对，你直视那些注视你的人），
你甚至不用写诗，你就是一首诗。
但那些蜜色的，飞舞的，变幻的生命，

带着饥饿的，与你一样迷人的眼睛和嘴唇，
比你更有弹性的肌肤，还在发育中的求知欲，
没有心计，没有城府，没有世故的挑逗，
一个六尺男儿，怎会没有怜香惜玉的借口。

你仍然光鲜，步态优雅，不动声色地吟诗，
把嫉妒藏在裙子的褶缝中，或赘肉里。
你不轻易玩“主义”之类的剑法，
但我知道你有一个杀手锏，会令我一蹶不振。
　　　　　　2010.3.15.《画外音》组诗之七

About the Poet:
　Mindy is an emigre poet and media worker living in LA, US. She has published two books of poems, and this poems is from her newest book coming from The New Continent Press.
诗人简介：
　明迪，移居美国的诗人、媒体工作者。这首诗取自她由美国新大陆诗社即将出版的诗集。