Part of a special edition series by and with writer-partners of Silicon Valley Author Ann Bridges.
Author, humorist, and poet Margaret Zhao shares her insights in response to recent tragic events and discussions on staying safe.
PRIORITIZING SAFETY
Nothing to lose,
poverty
makes it safe.
A poor little girl
wiping her nose
with pink fingers
cold like icicles.
Meek like sheep,
followers
blinded by empty offers —
socialists.
Fearful are those
powerful,
too much to lose
rallying the blind
to remain blind.
Safety
trampled
by greed,
hardly any cure.
A MOTHER’S ANGUISH — 慈母有败子，小不忍也
(Inspired from an ancient Chinese aphorism, conceptually meaning: Even a loving mother can have a corrupted son, because he was too cute when he was a baby and she didn’t have the heart to discipline him. As a result, he became a bad man.)
Abandon
education
or morality
leads a path
to the ruin —
from bad to worse,
and from worse
to the end
of the world.
A little sprout
grows to be
a giant redwood tree
with cultivation,
a little baby
without discipline
turns to be
a heartless monster
shooter.
WHEN TERROR STRIKES
A normal day
suddenly changes face,
sending shopping carts twirling
with cries soaked in blood,
breaths seized
by terror.
No one in the world
can afford to lose
a single life innocent.
CAN YOU MAKE LIFE SAFE?
Pains,
turning doctors
into kings.
Simply, a few scratches
with a magic wand
ordered,
white little pearls —
opioids
No medicine
can cure
regret
but prevention.
The greatest safety
in a relationship
is without
expectations.
Trapped are those
indulging parents
pestered
by spoiled children.
KEEPING CHILDREN SAFE
Anywhere safe
for my children to be?
A mother’s silent cry,
constant.
Carried
by schoolchildren
are backpacks
with added weight —
bullet-proof.
Fears nagging
’til kids home
unharmed.
CONTROLLING YOUR FATE
A fake smile
is healthier
than a genuine frown.
One laugh
makes you
ten years younger.
Silicon Valley Author ANN BRIDGES 