The house is aflame
Instead of being shocked, I am drawn by the splendour of the blaze
The building, which is called house
Has only what appears to be a roof and two walls, with no door or windows
No crackling is to be heard
Thick pillars of smoke rise up, silent and odourless
Elegant, and never the same form or thickness
Dramatic, like cavalry squadrons from ancient sagas

I turn around and
I am surprised by a classical-looking cloud
It floats almost motionless above the splintered, petrified sea
Beyond the horizon, clouds pile upon each other, flying apart and floating
A mountain, called volcano, spits out what is called lava
For a long time, I wait for the classical ship.
Suddenly, out of the darkness, a flash of fire bursts forth
Human shadows flit, rushing into and breaking away from each other

I turn back
And there, the house burns merrily on, without any signs of damage
Now and then the blue sky peers through the tongues of fire and clouds of
smoke crisscrossing the air

When I awake, everything is as it was.
I can't quite understand, but it seems I can fully grasp
What this absurd and magnificent blaze is telling me.

Text: Tian Tian Wang (2009)