Born On Winter Solstice
作者：陈国雄
I was born on winter solstice
A good omen
People frequently tell me
My life hasn’t been easy
If there is any luck to winter solstice
It was lost on me
I am 39
And pumping gas
On Oregon Highway 22
A customer wants tractor diesel
He says to me
The planets are aligning this month
Mars Jupiter Saturn and Venus
December solstice is best time to see it
I let on that is my birthday
He says, That is a lucky day
I reply, Not for me
Just wait and see, he continues
I am hoping things work out for you
So a solstice child
may experience brighter days
Seeing the diesel customer drive away
I wondered how my solstice birthday
would turn out
Would it be any different
than the previous 39 years
© Chen Guo Xiong 2020
Released from an orphanage at age 17
I was neither a child nor an adult
With no experience behind me
And no prospect in front
With zero goals to grasp
I drifted 22 pointless years
Not asking anyone for guidance
I had nothing to be confident about
Like most orphans I knew
with no hope or family
The cosmic alignment came and went
This solstice was another fading event
I did welcome the longer days
And when summer brought new life
Diesel man showed up
with a belated birthday wish
Sorry I missed your birthday, he says
My gift wasn’t ready
I liquidated all my real estate holdings
And I am off on a yearlong trip
Before I depart
Let me bequest the solstice man a gift
I give you a small cabin
on a small plot not far from here
To house your future solstice years
It is yours to keep
You have no mortgage or rent to pay
Just light a candle each winter solstice
and blow it your own way
He hands me several keys
On a key ring with an address
I stood in silence and disbelieve
Watching diesel man
drive off for only the second time
I told my boss
I wasn’t feeling well
We were 11 months into a virus pandemic
I knew my boss would send me home
I mapped the address on the key ring
And started down US highway 22
not far from where I pump gas
I turned up a gravel driveway
that led to a pole barn building
With 5 keys in my hand
I was confused at what to do next
Flipping the keys over, I look
A small key for a padlock
A car key with car remote
One key is named Kubota
One Schlage door key
With the Schlage key selected first
I slowly walk to a green cabin
Admiring its simple shape
The key fits
and it turned for me
Seeing the cabin in disbelieve
The inside fully furnished
With a cool airconditioned breeze
I walked in and the cabin interior
immediately wrapped me warmly
With a sense of belonging
I have never felt before
This was my solstice longing
