Jianqing Zheng

Hard Times (Cherita)

Waiting

after Eudora Welty's photograph Home, Ghost River Town / Rodney

Two seedy shanties stay side by side

behind a weathered wooden fence.

They sag in the warm southern sun

like an old couple lolling on the porch.

Having lived together a lifetime,

they are now looking in desperation

to transfer the ownership to the ghosts

so they can travel to the other world

where they will no longer be shanties.

A boat’s horn blows from the Old Muddy

like a messenger of God to come

and take them home, the two shanties

start to shake off all burdens of life,

crumbling and crashing for a light heart.

after Eudora Welty's photograph Home with Bottle-Trees

Leafless days—

decorate bare branches

of small yard trees

with glass bottles

to delight life

and drive devils away.
 

Jianqing Zheng is the author of poetry collections including The Dog Years of Reeducation (Madville, 2023), recipient of the 2024 literary artist fellowship from the Mississippi Arts Commission, and professor of English at Mississippi Valley State University where he edits Valley Voices. His poetry recently appeared in Birmingham Poetry Review, Intégrité, and Verse-Virtual.