Boyhood Buoys (5): The Most Memorable Science Class

We didn't know how or why, but we came to be
Convinced that swallowing a fresh snake gall
Would give us a more insightful pair of eyes

So, after catching a three-feet long grass snake
We skinned it off carefully, and cooked a big
Pot of soup with its old chicken-like meat

(O boy, how delicious it tastes! But my mom
Dare not go to the kitchen for a whole week)

The next morning, I blew enough air into the
Slough, made it into a vivid staff dragon, went
To school early and put it in the top-open desk

Closest to the podium. When the lid is raided,
The fully wound dragon threw the whole class
Into shriek. That's our only field science class

  

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Yuan Changming grew up in rural China and has published 15 poetry collections in English. Early in 2022, Yuan began to write fiction, with short stories appearing in Bewildering Stories (Canada), Lincoln Review (UK), Paper Dragon (US), and StylusLit (Australia), among others. Currently, Yuan is working on his trilogy.