Starting Over

It has been my desire that one day, I would publish my poems. The time has come. In a span of

more than three decades, poetic sentiments have come to me sporadically. I have been able to

capture them at those transient moments. They have reflected my genuine thoughts and feelings.

These poems are from an engineer who has lived in two worlds, and about starting over. It is

through reading them that I feel I am living my life once more. I hope that my readers will feel

the same.

Growing up in Shanghai before immigrating to the United States in 1989, I care to read and

understand modern history of Shanghai and China from an American perspective. Some of the

poems are a result of these readings and reminiscence of my old world. I hope they will give

readers a glimpse of the world where the events are impacting us. Examples are poems of "Whole

River Red: Childhood of the Bund," "Whole River Red: The Turbulence of the Century," and

"Thinking of Your Tenderness: Xi'an Coup d'tat in 1936." They are written in one of the Ci

forms the ancient poem formats with various titles and structured long and short verses as well as

unique tunes and tones within. Unfortunately, the Ci's unique musicals would be lost in English

translation, along with its highly condensed classical idioms, metaphors, and poetic visuals

associated with a pictorial language.

I try to make it up with background notes when dealing with historical figures and events. When

poems are written originally in English, they are restored in Chinese.

It is my hope that the bilingual form of this book brings pleasure to readers in both worlds.

Additionally, I have grouped together those poems created in the farewell mood and during travels

so that my readers would have an engaging experience when crossing between the past and the

present and the real and emotional realms.