"EAST VS. WEST: A SYNOPTIC CULTURAL COMPARISON" 

BY YUAN CHANGMING

During the great flood, Noah hid himself in the ark

While Dayu tried to contain it with his bare hands  


Prometheus stole fire from Olympian gods

While Sui Ren got it by drilling wood hard


Smart Daedalus crafted wings to fly away from his prison-tower 

While Old Fool removed the whole mountain blocking his way


Helios enjoyed driving his chariot all along in the sky 

While Kuafu chased the sun to take it down & tame it 


Sisyphus rolls the boulder uphill because of his deceitfulness, while

Wu Gang cuts the laurel as a punishment for distractions in learning

Yuan Changming edits Poetry Pacific with Allen Yuan in Vancouver. Credits include 12 Pushcart nominations, 15 chapbooks (most recently Sinosaure) and appearances in Best of the Best Canadian Poetry (2008-17), BestNewPoemsOnline and 2019 other literary outlets worldwide. A poetry judge at Canada's 2021 National Magazine Awards, Yuan began writing and publishing fiction in 2022.