Tribute 貢

By Peter Chengming Zhang

Yé Ye
爷爷

Nǎi Nai 
奶奶

Your portraits printed on film

Standing on a shelf

Dining together in the living room

A melon, a cake, sometimes champagne

Until your untouched plate becomes my dinner

A séance, a shrine, a meal eaten twice

I peek through the fire

Into the smell of incense

The gateway between worlds

Thinking you could hear my gratefulness

Praying you would pierce through

This shifting veil of smoke and ash

To be proud

Dining together in the living room

Peter Chengming Zhang (张诚明) is a Chinese Canadian hospital pharmacist, technology professional, and writer. He enjoys writing poetry and exploring topics of family, heritage, and society. Follow his works on his website: peterczhang.com.