Flash Cards: Selected Poems from Yu Jian's Anthology of Notes

Flash Cards is a primer of modern Chinese life, constructing a complex philosophical vision from swatches of daily events and observations. As Yu Jian has written about his own work: “It is possible to see eternity—to see everything—in a teacup or a sweet wrapper. Everything in the world is poetry.”

An eighteen-year-old college girl
walks to class on a spring morning
rosy cheeks long legs
inside a wool skirt
only a small wild part revealed
beautiful girl chest held high
a cup of tea between her ha...