Boatman


Lonely boatman missing an oar,
in a river and mountain landscape
comes out with a smile through a moon gate
He's splashing his eyes with colour
Like many another ink and brush artist.

Back in Songzhuang art village
his studio was not the largest or warmest
but his vision was singular, no one ever went higher
to the top of the artistic mountain
to find his restful jade-green pagoda.

He admired the Russians, Petrov-Vodkin
Travelled in his imagination on the trans-Siberian railway
tea from the Samovar keeping him awake
on the long journey to Tomsk

He's splashing his eyes with colour
He's following a line for a walk
He's doing his art in the winter
when his hands are frozen and chapped.