by Liu Ying

Summer Love

Summer has showed its great power,
We sweat every moment like a shower.
The sun is scorching my face outside,
My heart is beating with yours inside.

I could not fall asleep at the weekend,
Because I keep waiting every second.
I dare not expect a close relationship,
Because I know there lies a great gap.

I have no courage to tell you my love,
Because I am clear I shall not deserve.
I have told myself to quit for centuries,
Because it has been doomed for ages.

You bring endless tears to my red eyes,
Like summer carries us violent storms.
One day, maybe, my love will disappear,
But summer will remember me for ever.

The Best of You

It drizzles and drizzles in the early summer,
Your face appears again and again in my heart.
I keep reminding myself to control the desire,
But it seems impossible to keep you distant.

Staring at the faded photos hidden in my drawer,
Tears well up and drop onto your smiling faces.
Gradually, your faces turn more and more obscure,
Implying that you have left me for a million years.

I muster up the courage to send you a short text,
Asking whether you are fine for the days without me.
Your brief but polite reply comes a few seconds later,
Telling me everything is going on very well with you.

I shall never share with you my grief and heartbreak,
Because I am clear that it is far more than necessary.
You said we are different from each other in character,
And it is best to preserve the few remaining memories.

Editor’s Note on Summer Love & The Best of You:

Summer Love & The Best of You is not Liu Ying’s first work to appear in Eastlit. His previous published pieces are:

• Vernal Breeze appeared in Eastlit June 2015.