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Never ask where is future
Only ask if the light smile is at rest"
Written over the course of a year, this collection of 110 poems tells a story of love, travel, friendship, loneliness, and other emotional moments. Each poem can be enjoyed separately, but taken as a collection, there is a greater story that threads each selection together and weaves a narrative that covers the entire book. The entire book is presented in bilingual fashion, including both English and Chinese text, reflecting the author’s Chinese heritage and Australian residency. The subjects of the poems include friends reuniting after a long time apart, inspiration from popular movies, fairy tales, and the impersonal pace of urban life. Using a wistful, private style, the imagery and feeling will reach the reader in poem after poem, creating a powerful reaction and leading them to resonate with the author’s various inspirations for writing.
The combination of poetry in two languages, photography both of and by the author, and a subtle interconnectedness from start to finish create a wholly unique book of poems. The presentation and approach are inviting to the audience, who can get a sense of who the author is and grow an attachment toward her as they read on. Though the book is bilingual, it’s not required at any point to be able to read beyond the English text, though readers who can understand both may be able to unearth additional meaning that either language may not easily express on its own. Modern, personal, and striking in its construction, the poet lays her heart open in both sweet memories and bittersweet private moments, creating a collection of poems that perfectly reminds the reader how every person is unique and molded by the events, people, and places in their individual lives.