【My Little Room in Eighties China】

【My Little Room in Eighties China】
              By Tian Chao Yu
 
Eighties China
Eggs and meats were rationed
We didn’t have much
Except love

My little room in Beijing
A bed, a table and
A colico cat strolling in
A small garden outside the window  

Raindrops on the tin roof
Leaves rustling
The fresh smell of rain and dirt
Comforted a girl behind the flower bushes 
Daydreaming 

Lights across the street were off 
All quiet and dark 
Only my little lamp 
Hugged me with warm yellow light 
Until late night 

Curled up with books 
Hemingway Tolstoy Dickens
Wrote rosy poems and diaries 
Hid secret thoughts and
A boy's name
Underneath the mattress

In my imagination
The world was mysterious 
But beautiful 
I thought of America
Blue sky, green meadows 
A house with white picket fence
Like in "The little house on the prairie"
I have envisioned my future
In the Midwest

A tall slender boy
Elegant but a little shy
We talked a lot in that room
The excitement of going to college
The anticipation of a life voyage
Conversation wondered aimlessly
Until first kiss
Caught us by surprise

Over the years
I tried to create a room like that 
A room, just for daydreaming 
For catching a breath
For checking out my soul 

Too much noise around
Too Long the to do list
Life put me on a train of no return
No time for nostalgia

Now I am no longer poor
I own many things
Including a huge room
But raining days 
I still miss my little room in China
Especially,
The girl in love