Booze, Cassandra and Cai Lun

1.
Booze should flow, always
At least that's what I believe

When Wang Xizhi wrote the Lan Ting Xu
The most celebrated piece of calligraphy
In the world

Cups of
Strong wine floated down the stream
While 35 poems were composed



2.
While he stayed awake
Tossing and turning through the night
Plotting
On how to squash his opponents
And conquer the world

She woke up
Early morning
Sipped green tea
And plucked a few white lilies
For her hair


3.
Cassandra saw the future
Except her own
Except her own

And
When Cassandra saw her future
She couldn't live in the present
In the present



4.
AD's launch of his coffee table book
On the history of zebra crossings
Was cancelled

They say AD's motor car got stuck at the city's oldest traffic signal



5.
So many years had gone by
She was a whore
Of sorts

They paid her no salary
No polite words, either


Her solace was an unresponsive God
And a line of red ants
That marched past her mattress
And sensed her anguish
Every time she heard
The evening prayers from the minaret



6
The best selling author
Wrote no more

Since the next day
His damn words
Protested
And transformed themselves into the exact opposite
Of what he wanted to convey



7.
It would be super interesting to meet
Cai Lun of the Eastern Han Dynasty
In the elevator
How do you do sir?

Lun would rub his hands together
Replying in that 50 AD Chinese accent of his:
I've run out of paper. Can you lend me some?