A visual representation of "City" by Louise Ho
NG Cheuk Wai
Maryknoll Convent School (Secondary Section)
The poem is about a helpless street-sleeper in this hectic city. In a cold evening, the street-sleeper is suffering coldness, helplessness and loneliness. Yet, he/she finds his/her own ‘peace of mind’ despite the harsh environment. In my artwork, his/her ‘peace of mind’ and loneliness are highlighted with the setting of a quiet country road, which forms a contrast to the hectic city. The only light source is the red sun, which hardly lights up anything but the specks of dust. Such scenario reflects his/her pain and isolation. Although the street-sleeper has to face lots of difficulties, I think he/she should never lose heart and should uphold the belief that a better future lies in his/her hard work and positive attitude. Hence, the main themes of my artwork are loneliness and helplessness, as well as hope and perseverance.
City
No fingers claw at the bronze gauze
Of a Hong Kong December dusk,
Only a maze of criss-crossing feet
That enmeshes the city
In a merciless grid.
Between many lanes
Of traffic, the street-sleeper
Carves out his island home.
Or under the thundering fly-over,
Another makes his own peace of mind.
Under the staircase,
By the public lavatory,
A man entirely unto himself
Lifts his hand
And opens his palm.
His digits
Do not rend the air,
They merely touch
As pain does, effortlessly.
Louise Ho
“City” was published in Incense Tree: Collected Poems of Louise Ho by Louise Ho, p.45.
Copyrights © 2009 by Hong Kong University Press. Reprinted by permission of Hong Kong University Press.