Selected poems of Qi Xiaoming

 Early winter rain

Clock ticks midday,
It's the noon of early winter.  
With thunder one after another.
The rain of early winter,
Tiptoes into our world
unannounced
To soak the earthly mud,
or like the tears of God
Speaking sorrow as it falls.
The endless pandemic,
wrenching people’s hearts!
I pray the rain will wash away
the muddy remnants
of our disasters,
thus our town will remain
safe and sound,
And may it be that
their lives will see the sun!




Reminiscing parents

Bygone days
Are riding on my father’s shoulders,
Swaying left and right,
Unaware of weariness.

Bygone days
Are a loving mother’s sweater,
thread by thread.
Worn on the body,
Warm to the heart.

Bygone days
Are life crushing 
my brother’s spine,
Arched like an umbrella’s handle.

Bygone days 
Are my father’s mantra:
Without bearing a household
One cannot know the price 
of firewood and grain,
To treasure a penny 
but spend gold savings.

Bygone days, 
Are my fathers teachings, 
staking a mulberry sapling 
straight–



Ode to Bricks and Tiles

Half a lifetime entwined
with mud’s embrace,

only to eke a living off
fragmented silver.

Each tile each brick fuses
with my blood,

Fortune’s gift fails to uproot
my soils.


At my fertile land of canals
and rivers,

The art of teal tiles and copper
bricks is passed on by
adept artisans.

The age of prosperity
arrives with delight,

in the joyful embrace of peasantry.





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The Poet writes besides the cyan bricks
issue 001
                                   @Xiaoming Qi






“
Half a lifetime entwined with mud's embrace,
only to eke a living off fragmented silver.
Each tile each brick fuses with my blood,
Fortune's gift fails to uproot my soils.
”














"The city may not be large, but it brims with various worldly joys."Taizhou City is a small city located in the central part of Jiangsu Province, situated along the north-south axis of the Jiangnan region. Once passing through Taizhou, Marco Polo commented：



Marco Polo







 From the verses of Qi Xiaoming, who was born and raised in this city, we can sense the profound accumulation of this small yet ancient city's every brick and tile, as well as the warmth of the simple lives of the people beneath the city walls.




Qi Xiaoming is the owner of a brick kiln that specializes in producing Chinese cyan bricks in Qintong Town, Taizhou. In an era marked by rapid updates and iterations, only three suppliers in China persist in the production of cyan bricks, with Mr. Qi's brick kiln being one of them. Before achieving a renowned reputation for his brick kiln, he was just an ordinary laborer. Following the passing of his father-in-law, Qi Xiaoming made the decision to shoulder the responsibility of preserving the ancient craft of cyan brick production, which was on the brink of having no successors. Over the course of twenty years, he led this craft to success.






His poetry is full of life-- just like the cyan bricks under his hands. Qi Xiaoming has a habit of using the most familiar weather and rain patterns of the town to convey his desires. He writes with a retrozpective tone, often documenting the trivial but unforgettable moments in life. While these elements are undoubtedly commonplace, they create a sense of closeness in his poetry that resonates with the audience and the soil beneath their feet. Reading his words, one can almost picture Qi Xiaoming strolling through the familiar small town, contemplating as he goes. 


Beyond being a successful artisan and amateur poet, Qi is also a philanthropist. He has provided substantial support to literary organizations composed of fellow ordinary individuals who share a passion for creation. For instance, "Azi's Cultural Salon": a literary gathering formed by enthusiasts who live leisurely lives and share a love for collaborative creativity. Qi Xiaoming's support has extended to such groups, demonstrating his commitment to fellow creators and his desire to foster a sense of community among like-minded individuals.



The Azi Cultural Salon already has its own poetry collection.
↗️ Photo source Dai Nan releases wechat official account "From Earthy Fragrance to Sunflower"

In his small town, Qi Xiaoming refines his cyan brick business while also using his pen to depict the delicate emotions of life's changing seasons. His poetry allows readers to intuitively sense that poetic medium isn't confined by form, and the distance between poets and us isn't as far as it seems. Perhaps whether it's by the untrodden edges of the hometown fields or on the cement ground of the city during the early hours of the morning, you can always discover the imprints of poetry that once moved people.





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