Room for rent

出租屋 十平米左右的空间 局促，潮湿，终年不见天日 我在这里吃饭，睡觉，拉屎，思考 咳嗽，偏头痛，生老，病不死 昏黄的灯光下我一再发呆，傻笑 来回踱步，低声唱歌，阅读，写诗 每当我打开窗户或者柴门 我都像一位死者 把棺材盖，缓缓推开 许立志 (Xǔ Lìzhì), 2013年12月2日 Rented Room A space of ten square meters Cramped and damp, no sunlight all year Here I eat, sleep, shit, and think Cough, get headaches, grow old, get sick but still fail to die Under the dull yellow light again I stare blankly, chuckling like an idiot I pace back and forth, singing softly, reading, writing poems Every time I open the window or the wicker gate I seem like a dead man Slowly pushing open the lid of a coffin 许立志 (Xǔ Lìzhì), 2 December 2013

English translation by 闹 (Nào)

许立志 (Xǔ Lìzhì), born on July 28, 1990 in 揭阳 (Jiēyáng), was a day & night factory worker and a part time poet. He worked for Foxconn and attracted media attention after his suicide on 30 September 2014 in 深圳 (Shēnzhèn), China. After his death, his friends published his anthology of poetry. Photo: toutiao.com.