Kuafu (The Hunter of the Sun)

For any man who
wishes to chase the sun.

-

Snakes looped through his ears;
fields draped by the sun
he collapsed near Yu Valley,
too thirsty to hunt.

Obstinate daylight
was scorching the earth,
each stride towards its glow
left cracks in the dirt -

the bountiful embers
would set in the west
bring dusk’s cool embrace;
unfathomable darkness.

As every beast, every man
would fall into a slumber,
Kuafu marched through wilderness
the sky torn asunder;

palms outstretched
towards the fading light
he’d quaffed the lakes, the rivers,
but his tongue and throat were dry -

if he could capture in his hands
the essence of all life,
his people would rejoice;
a revocation of the night.

Snakes looped through his ears;
fields now draped by shadows
the peach tree by his body
would soon become a grove.

-

For any man who
wished to chase the sun.

--

Inspired by the legend of Kuafu, a giant in Chinese folklore who sought to capture the sun and bring eternal light and happiness to his tribe. A seasoned hunter, he doggedly chased the sun before eventually collapsing of dehydration. His body became a peach tree grove to quench the thirst of any man who wished to do the same as he.