All Comments on 'No Great Leap Forward'

Hmmm. This is different from most of your poems - not only in location choice. As usual the imagery and use of language is excellent, but I don't think you capture the essence of the personalities as well. Yes, it's poetry, but it's very doubtful that anyone selling watches in Tiananmen square would be able to read the NYT in English, and also unlikely that Ping's mother would have lotus feet. Grandmother, maybe. My major question is the title: - the Great Leap era was significantly before Tianamen square, and while no one contests it's impact, I don't think the link is strong enough in this poem to merit the title (little red book, some allusion to government subsidies, and of course the location). The title NO great leap forward becomes an overt comment on China and it's progress -- I think it would be more effective eliminating the No, and let the reader figure out the rest. Still an very good poem, just my 2 cents.

Unless the poem refers to incidents in Tiananmen Square prior to the democracy protests. But then the McQueen reference doesn't work. Eeek - extra points for making me reconsider!

This is a very evocative poem.

Thanks for taking the time to comment. The poem is based upon an elderly woman whose feet had been bound when she was a young girl whom my daughter saw begging in her trip to China last year, albeit in a public square other than Tianenman. Although the custom was initially limited to affluent familes, even poor people in rural villages practiced it before the Communists outlawed it in 1949.

The poem unfolds itself and then closes gently. The spare, well chosen images paint a vivid scene that shifts time and place, generation and history. And I like the sound effect, anything that makes the scene live is good, right? Even the title adds to the narrative, historically but also ironically.

Really a pleasure to read.

This poem is topical .

all thoughts and visions are of the exquisite, TK U MLJ LV NV

No Great Leap Forward

platform boots,

grotesque with swollen giant hooves,

Lotus Feet;<dead center too

runs cobblestone streets,

wheeling Píng in like a pinwheel in,

clickety clack clack clickety clack,

the irony and contrast is incredible

gossamer wings, hmmm, pretends not to see

I'd say i was humbled, but hobbled makes a better pun and quickly asks is it iambic?

even if no one knows what lotus feet are, this is pretty good, but that really makes it,

needless to say a 5

leaving out the jokes

irony and contrast is incredible

5ed

The essence of life contrasted with "progress."

Desejo makes a good point about The New York Times in line 5.

It should read "Beijing Times," the actual name of a popular daily tabloid.