Honorable Mention, Diana Der-Hovanessian Prize, selected by J. Kates
Pear These days, the elders, even peers my own age, are leaving, one after another. You were peeling a pear when I heard the news, paring bitter skin away from the sweet fruit— paring everything: the sick bed, the wrinkled frightened white sheet you sat down on. Everything had become huge, soft pear. People sitting in the room were eating pears, held seeds like words on their tongues, hesitated, spat them out. Three black buds, a withered pear-tree branch. The thought: Our days are numbered. The realization: Love it or hate it, this pear-peeling night, you and I can still breathe!
Duan Qingqing was born in Tongcheng, China, to a literary family and has been writing and publishing poetry since childhood. A member of the Shanghai Writers Association and the China Writers Association, she is a descendant of the Tongcheng School. Recipient of numerous awards in Chinese poetry, she also writes for children, helping them understand Chinese literary history. In 2022, she served as a judge in the 2nd Young Poets Growth Accompanying Program for Public Welfare. She is currently working on a poetry collection exploring the intimate yet subtle relationship between women and the world, as well as continuing to write children’s novels about new technology.
梨 这些年 ，长者，甚至 同龄人 ，相继离去 听闻时 ，你在削一只梨 离有离的苦 ，也有梨的甘润 梨形的 ：他人病榻，你坐下时 ，那起皱的 受惊的白色床单 ，物体皆是庞大松软的梨 人们坐在房间里吃梨 最合适此时含着梨核 、吞吞吐吐 忏悔 ，吐露 三颗黑蓓蕾 ，一段梨树枝 思路折返，“去日无多” 爱或恨 ，削梨之夜你我残存呼吸 ，何等清晰 ！