A visual representation of "City" by Louise Ho
Charlotte CHUN
St. Paul's Convent School
My artwork is inspired by Louise Ho’s ‘City’,
which presents one of the critical social issues occurring in Hong Kong – homelessness.
My work expresses the feelings of hopelessness and desperation through the contrast between the bustling movements of city people
and the isolated street sleeper. I want to covey the cruel irony of the social situation –
Even though the homeless are living in a well-developed city, they are living in poverty,
being neglected and forgotten by the fast-paced city,
as if they are living in an opposite world to the city people.
I hope this artwork will bring people’s attention to the distressing issue of homelessness,
and will inspire them to start caring for those who are in need in the city.
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.