Lanterns-Lit Year of the Snake
Lanterns-Lit Year of the Snake
By William He
The emerald scales of starlit glow,
Somewhere, the snakes stir in the earth,
Their dreams unspooling like smoke.
To know what we do not,
Each flame a flickering tongue,
A spiral that unwinds into the night,
Tasting the dark for secrets now.
Photons hiss across the cold ground,
Leaving behind a brittle trail of Serpens,
This year sheds its skin.
Something that knows the quality of silence,
Black hole gravitational field,
The lamps float and whisper.
Mundane and magic intertwine, and thought sought.
Electromagnetic waves like soul unbound,
Time bouncing lightly, wild and free.
Each lantern holds a secret song,
Cascade through the air, a gentle sound,
The rattlesnakes are coiling in the green lights,
A guardian of dreams, both day and night.
In the shy where Rice Balls rolling,
The spirits are mending,
Through surreal realms where reality bends,
To the heartbeat of night,
The shadows twist and dreams comply,
Of bygone days where echoes throng.
解连环 蛇年元夕
作者：何威廉
蝘蜒光泻。
有青虬眨眼，
影投云野。
瀚海宽、
灯谜浮游，
见蠕动蛇群，
究寻幽夜。
疑落星芒，
皆变作、
舌灵光射。
入玄机秘处，
黑洞中迷，
细语轻话。
烟花慢悠抒写。
况犀燃烛照，
吟情谁舍，
恰穿行、
纹线交加，
看翠甲加身，
待机而化。
滚动汤圆，
想在等、
时程升卦。
人凝眸、
旧年悄逝，
未尝拜谢。
About this poem
The poem integrates the imagery, symbolism, and emotion, weaving together the mundane and the mystical, the earthly and the cosmic. The poem is a meditation on transformation, time, and the interplay between light and darkness, silence and sound, reality and dreams. It captures the essence of the lantern in the Year of the Snake, a symbol of light, wisdom, renewal, and mystery, while also delving into universal themes of existence and perception. Through its evocative language and layered metaphors, the poem invites readers into a world where the boundaries between the physical and the metaphysical blur, creating a space for contemplation and wonder. more »
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"Lanterns-Lit Year of the Snake" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2025. Web. 16 Mar. 2025. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/213114/lanterns-lit-year-of-the-snake>.
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