Three translated short stories from Yuan Zi, a pioneer of "Beijing drifter scar literature"
If I truly love one person I love all persons, I love the world, I love life.
— Eric Fromm, The Art of Loving
As soon as we wake from dreams
Countless eyes fall on our lives
Invisible thorns hide in our flesh
Carried by breath through the years
Like cancer patients in the hospital
Whose gowns inscribe a range of motion
The entrance lies over the IV line
The exit is a tripping hazard
One stands
And one falls
But night is finally descending
Night is finally showing its clear, cool face
Because night is for lovers
Night is for those who stand as one
Who fall as one—
Lovers
The Night is for Lovers | Fiction is a story from our issue, “Something Old Something New.” To read the entire issue, become a subscriber and receive the full magazine. Alternatively, you can purchase the digital version from the App Store.
Yuan Zi (远子) is a contributing writer at The World of Chinese.
