When Feng Huang* Weeps

by Thavirack Oukdee

Fiery wings flap,

tempest of no escape,

streaming, jetting river falls

from sun-shaped eyes,

mellow pupils dimmed,

mixed with a single drop

of an ocean tear

that vanishes into its own sun,

the way a Khmer mother

looks into a puddle of blood

reflecting broken skies,

the way bloodshed burns;

the fire stifles.

Phoenix, rises like a cry for justice

500 years young and old—

come death…

‍ ‍New dawn awakens, feathers sway,

zephyr regales, and out of ash

begins the new end.

*Feng Huang is the Oriental Phoenix of Rebirth and Reincarnation.