if you're going to bloom then bloom to my rhythm close your eyes for one second breathe for two be silent for three then bloom
to bloom is liberation to bloom is revolution the universe did not begin with a bang but a bloom
if you're happy then bloom at dawn bloom a blossom hiding veins
if you're depressed then bloom in the evening because sunset promotes relaxation and absentmindedness
or in your depression bloom laughter to keep from crying and in frustration and fear and timidity bloom wasting not and wanting not
bloom to counteract residual fear just release your fantasies of your other you
and if you've already bloomed in fact more than one blossom then retreat to pre-ripeness and bloom again to my rhythm
my rhythm is the rhythm of dripping water because water droplet hitting water droplet is the source of the river
to put it more extravagantly the deep blue sea comes from water droplet hitting water droplet
you must believe the sea has a blue heart oh such a great flower what a grand flower
so I order you to bloom that is request you to bloom I humbly implore you
[…]
but in case you're still reluctant in case you're still trying to decide whether to bloom or not to bloom then listen to me listen to me first stretch out a petal
then stretch out two petals then four petals
three petals and five petals are the geometry of nature
but if you want to you can stretch out fifty petals five hundred thousand petals is called a flourish
and in case you're too shy to flourish then bloom hiding at the base of the wall bloom till grandma Bing Xin parts with her hipster sentimentalisms
and if you're chicken then bloom hiding behind a lattice fence let grandpa Tao Yuanming see South Mountain strip mined by a maniac parvenu when seeing you
the earthworms are waiting
even the flies are growing greener to match the earth's imagination even the tone-deaf swallows are singing this puts kings and marquises and generals ministers in a better mood
when they're in a better mood they care more about the lives of little people they might even admit that they themselves are little people
but I want you to bloom that is when you're in a rotten mood I still want you to keep in mind that little people are people they are natural they are the Dao
bloom unleash a deep underground spring with your rhizome
[…]
even if it's vulgar even if it's obscene do it to my rhythm and you'll bloom blossoms of happiness
with happiness you won't have to tear out only poetry's warmest parts you won't have to shun brightness from your life
blooming is opening your mouth after a deep silence to whisper sweet nothings to another deep flower
unsatisfied people figure the whole world is deaf but shouting obscenities isn't as good as blooming while blooming is giving sight and sound to the deaf and blind
and learning how to be intoxicated
bloom barbaric blossoms bloom unbearable blossoms bloom the deviant the unreasonable the illogical
like a heavy downpour on a million square kilometers of desert
bloom fantastical indulgence in case even fantasies bloom that would definitely be for you to bloom with abandon
bloom till you're ecstatic from the valley of death from the village of rejection from the crevasse of the city from the central square
[…]
bloom the countenance of a panther curled up in the shade of a tree bloom the contemplations of a tiger wandering through a forest of glass concrete and steel
blooming is a game of adventure it's happiness finding the opening of the body dark underground water finding an escape
dogs of all sizes in two hundred and fifty villages bark in unison when you bloom
you bloom you are a brave flower brave in your bored battles and scampering you are a compassionate and merciful flower compassionate and merciful in catastrophes of crumbled buildings
if stones keep you from blooming then smash them open there must be a small fower in the atriums of their hearts
if ropes keep you from blooming then dye them red until they are so stiff they snap in half
bloom go ahead bloom cruelly bloom rumblingly
if you bloom I'll sit up stand up jump up fly up I'll ring bells and bang drums I'll breathe loudly you can even do it without following my rhythm
bloom into the sky I'll climb up a ladder after you
if you bloom too high I'll build an airplane and fly after you
[…]
I want to smell to engulf the boundless fragrance of your soul
I want to shout with you: joy
the joy of pores on construction sites the joy of stinky feet in the open market twitching trembling shivering joy unjoyful yet somehow still joyful joy dripping with fucking sweat joy
so you have to bloom to greet my loquacity
blooming once isn't enough bloom three thousand times blooming three thousand times still isn't enough bloom one hundred eight thousand times
bloom three thousand boundless universes and string up and beat any beast that refuses to bloom
if you're going to bloom then bloom to my rhythm
close your eyes for one second breathe for two be silent for three then bloom
to bloom is liberation to bloom is revolution
the universe did not begin with a bang but a bloom
if you're happy then bloom at dawn bloom a blossom hiding veins
if you're depressed then bloom in the evening because sunset promotes relaxation and absentmindedness
or in your depression bloom laughter to keep from crying
and in frustration and fear and timidity bloom wasting not and wanting not
bloom to counteract residual fear just release your fantasies of your other you
and if you've already bloomed in fact more than one blossom then retreat to pre-ripeness and bloom again to my rhythm
my rhythm is the rhythm of dripping water
because water droplet hitting water droplet is the source of the river
to put it more extravagantly the deep blue sea comes from water droplet hitting water droplet
you must believe the sea has a blue heart oh such a great flower what a grand flower
so I order you to bloom that is request you to bloom I humbly implore you
[…]
but in case you're still reluctant
in case you're still trying to decide whether to bloom or not to bloom then listen to me listen to me first stretch out a petal
then stretch out two petals then four petals
three petals and five petals are the geometry of nature
but if you want to you can stretch out fifty petals five hundred thousand petals is called a flourish
and in case you're too shy to flourish
then bloom hiding at the base of the wall
bloom till grandma Bing Xin parts with her hipster sentimentalisms
and if you're chicken
then bloom hiding behind a lattice fence
let grandpa Tao Yuanming see South Mountain strip mined by a maniac parvenu when seeing you
the earthworms are waiting
even the flies are growing greener to match the earth's imagination
even the tone-deaf swallows are singing this puts kings and marquises and generals ministers in a better mood
when they're in a better mood they care more about the lives of little people
they might even admit that they themselves are little people
but I want you to bloom
that is when you're in a rotten mood I still want you to keep in mind that little people are people they are natural they are the Dao
bloom
unleash a deep underground spring with your rhizome
[…]
even if it's vulgar even if it's obscene
do it to my rhythm and you'll bloom blossoms of happiness
with happiness you won't have to tear out only poetry's warmest parts
you won't have to shun brightness from your life
blooming is opening your mouth after a deep silence to whisper sweet nothings to another deep flower
unsatisfied people figure the whole world is deaf
but shouting obscenities isn't as good as blooming
while blooming is giving sight and sound to the deaf and blind
and learning how to be intoxicated
bloom barbaric blossoms bloom unbearable blossoms
bloom the deviant the unreasonable the illogical
like a heavy downpour on a million square kilometers of desert
bloom fantastical indulgence in case even fantasies bloom that would definitely be for you
to bloom with abandon
bloom till you're ecstatic from the valley of death from the village of rejection
from the crevasse of the city from the central square
[…]
bloom the countenance of a panther curled up in the shade of a tree
bloom the contemplations of a tiger wandering through a forest of glass concrete
and steel
blooming is a game of adventure
it's happiness finding the opening of the body dark underground water finding an escape
dogs of all sizes in two hundred and fifty villages bark in unison when you bloom
you bloom
you are a brave flower brave in your bored battles and scampering
you are a compassionate and merciful flower compassionate and merciful in catastrophes of crumbled buildings
if stones keep you from blooming then smash them open
there must be a small fower in the atriums of their hearts
if ropes keep you from blooming then dye them red
until they are so stiff they snap in half
bloom go ahead bloom cruelly bloom rumblingly
if you bloom I'll sit up stand up jump up fly up
I'll ring bells and bang drums I'll breathe loudly you can even do it without following my rhythm
bloom into the sky I'll climb up a ladder after you
if you bloom too high I'll build an airplane and fly after you
[…]
I want to smell to engulf the boundless fragrance of your soul
I want to shout with you: joy
the joy of pores on construction sites the joy of stinky feet in the open market
twitching trembling shivering joy unjoyful yet somehow still joyful joy dripping with fucking sweat joy
so you have to bloom to greet my loquacity
blooming once isn't enough bloom three thousand times
blooming three thousand times still isn't enough bloom one hundred eight thousand times
bloom three thousand boundless universes
and string up and beat any beast that refuses to bloom
bloom