Paper Towns -- poetry by George Sun

My grandfather keeps his roll of 宣纸

for calligraphy hidden in drawers of dust—

history books, frayed silk, his parents’ photos,

all corners unkempt.

When I watch him at night, I see

a million strokes of black ink ribboning

his white sky, the end of each line like wings

of a satin fan. But his words are untethered,

crocheted so tenderly I wonder if they will crack

in the heat of a kiln–if each Chinese character is

woven strong enough. I leave his office, the light

surrendering to my shadow, the only sound behind me

the crumples of 宣纸. Then,

silence.

Note: 宣纸 (xuānzhǐ): Xuan paper, a type of paper used for calligraphy.

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George Sun is a 16-year old poet from Canada. His work appears or is forthcoming in Blue Marble Review and Polar Expressions, among others. Apart from writing, you can find him assembling jigsaw puzzles.