From a Line of Du Fu

Three t.v.'s stacked in a pyramid contain images and text cut from newspapers. The word "LIES" is spelled out to the right.. Beneath the t.v.'s are newspaper clippings in abstract shapes. The image's top half is yellow and the bottom half is black. — “Lies” by M.L. Tucker

The country in ruins,
rivers and mountains continue.

(trans. David Hinton)

In the famous poem, his translator says,
Du Fu laughs at creation’s indifference.

Guests on this enormous earth,
our worries are absurd—

and ruin will follow us home

and we can’t save our children.

About the Author

Tom Laichas is author most recently of Three Hundred Streets of Venice California (FutureCycle Press, 2023). His work has appeared or is forthcoming in Mudlark, Prairie Schooner, Amsterdam Review, The Los Angeles Times, Plume, The Moth (Ireland), The Irish Times, and elsewhere. He lives in Venice, California.

about the artist

M.L. Tucker is a 19-year-old previously unpublished multi-medium artist from BC, Canada. Currently attending post-secondary for a bachelor's degree in psychology, they spend their free time expressing themself through their writings and creative projects. They hope to share their personal experiences and find community in the literary world.