Gěi 给

from a working poetry collection titled ‘My Family’

I am the giver, 

The bearer – 

The holder of all weights

Gěi, Gěi, Gěi

Give, give, give. 

Never, 

Ná, Ná, Ná

Take, take, take. 

When baskets run over, 

Heavy with unshed tears, 

They find relief on my dumping grounds. 

Build higher, 

Build faster, 

Swim stronger, 

You cannot keep up with the current much longer. 

They say, as the stones and water continue to flow, 

Unremoresfully, 

Unceremoniously, 

Unrelenting. 

From my family to me. 

I am the giver, 

The bearer – 

The holder of all weights. 

But, I may soon drown.