Messy bed and ripped curtains in the room
The patterns of Agapanthus and Early Nancy are in full bloom
Pale purple is waiting for love to come
The colour seems to be strangled by poisonous flower stem

Her name can’t be found on the lists
Like the trampled weeds on the side of the roads
“Eh” is the only title she has
The older she gets
The smaller the world was
A road full of footprints
On the opposite of the hillside
Continue on it into the farmlands
Everybody says
Thick and short branches are suitable for bearing fruits
But the flesh can be astringent
Need to break off another branch to graft
So she breaks herself

When the nightmare is awakened by the birds that sing under the moon
The wedding car drives on the road of no return
Bright sun, dim moon
Laughing is glossy but crying is hidden
Nothing in her mouth but the silence is her allusion
On an auspicious occasion
She is shared by two clans

She cuts off her long hair in frequent pain in September
Gives birth to another beggar
In the pain that everyone is waiting for
The zodiac, the horoscope, the month, the old calendar
She carefully chooses a Chinese character
But no one will really care
The only concern is which man to choose to carry on the family with her

The feudal wind blew out the their lives’ lights
Their stiff and aged bones are buried in the dirt
Becoming the providers of newly grown Early Nancy’s nutrients
To poison Agapanthuses’ buds

Words inspired by Stella Yu’s Agapanthus and Early Nancy (2022) by Stella Yu. POSCA markers and Fineliner photoshopped and printed on Rag Paper. Photo: Miriam Berkery. View the full collection and artist's statement here.