Many years ago
the blossom trees bare
a minor French diplomat invited me
to dinner at a restaurant in
the Beijing backstreets
the French Ambassador held court
full of advice and rice wine
toasting the party officials
who drank like pond fish

Outside the moon was fat,
I caught two young lovers
kissing in the alley
where, during the day,
tourists shopped for Chinese
antiquities made next door

the lovers saw me
and although taboo
stayed one moment longer
to feast on each other
before fleeing
through the snow