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香蕉面包 Banana Bread · j.d. scrimgeour
$18.00
I seldom see American poets write in Chinese. J.D. Scrimgeour is a special case. It’s amazing for an American to write such wonderful poems in idiomatic Chinese. I particularly appreciate the methods of word-play and humor used in these beautiful poems.
— Zhang Ziqing, Poet, Translator, Scholar, author of A History of 20th Century American Poetry (3 Volumes)
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三月十四号
昨天我练习写中文了
我写诗了。
今天我会写另一首诗
我不知道为什么。
昨天Ming说我的诗是费纸
它让Molly悲伤。
Yicheng给我看了一部关于台湾诗人的电影。
我不应该写诗。
我应该做饭。
可是什么饭？
面包吗？面包！
可是什么面包？
不是美国面包
不是中国面包
啊！
香蕉面包。
可是……
我不知道怎么
做香蕉面包。
我还需要老香蕉。
市场有绿色的香蕉
市场有黄色的香蕉
可是没有老香蕉。我会买
然后我和每个人会等。
四月三号
我看春天
我看你
你看不看我？
我穿着雨
我穿着你的希望
它在我身上很好看
它闪耀。
我需要穿别人的希望。
有的时候我不想
穿别人的东西
可是春天里
总是有别人
而我总是
想穿春天。
五月十五号
昨天晚上，大风暴
今天早上，太阳
新太阳，许多鸟。
我知道很多树都受伤了
它们躺在街上，它们像老人。
昨晚我只睡了一点儿觉
我看了我的日记
我记得了我忘掉的中国字。
我记得了三月
我记得了四月。
现在邻居的黑猫已经在狩猎
鸟小心吧，我小心吧。
我记得。我忘掉。
黑猫像雨水一样消失。
March 14
I practiced writing Chinese yesterday.
I wrote a poem.
Today I will write another poem.
I don’t know why.
Yesterday Ming said that my poem was toilet paper.
It made Molly sad.
Yicheng showed me a movie about Taiwanese poets.
I should not write poetry.
I should bake.
But what should I bake?
Bread? Bread!
But what kind of bread?
Not American bread.
Not Chinese bread.
Ah!
Banana bread.
But. . .
I don’t know how
to bake banana bread.
Also, I need old bananas.
There are green bananas in the market.
There are yellow bananas in the market.
But there are no old bananas. I will buy bananas.
Then everyone and I will wait.
April 3
I see spring.
I see you.
Do you see me?
I am wearing rain.
I am wearing your hope.
It looks good on me.
It shines.
I need to wear others’ hope.
Sometimes I don’t want
to wear other people’s things,
but in spring,
there are always other people,
and I always want
to wear spring.
May 15
Last night, there was a huge storm.
This morning, sun.
New sun. Many birds.
I know many trees are injured.
They lie on the street. They are like old people.
I slept a little last night.
I read my diary.
I remembered the Chinese characters I’d forgotten.
I remembered March,
I remembered April.
Now the neighbor’s black cat is already hunting.
Birds, be careful. J.D., be careful.
I remember. I forget.
The black cat, like rain, disappears.
About the Author
J.D. Scrimgeour is the author of four poetry collections The Last Miles, Territories, Lifting the Turtle, and Festival. He won the AWP Award for Nonfiction for his second book of nonfiction, Themes for English B: A Professor’s Education In & Out of Class. With musician Philip Swanson he released Ogunquit & Other Works, a CD blending music and poetry. The musical, Only Human, which he composed with his sons Aidan and Guthrie, premiered at Ames Hall Theatre in Salem in 2014. He is Chair of Salem State University’s English Department.
A longtime resident of Salem, he’s written in many genres about the city. Mary Towne Eastey, an ancestor in his direct line, was put to death during the Salem Witch Trials. Another ancestor, Thomas Perkins, sat on the jury that found her guilty.
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Copyright © 2021 J.D. Scrimgeour
Cover design by d’Entremont
ISBN 978-1-949279-32-2
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review or scholarly journal.
