Li-Young Lee is an Indonesian poet whose family originated from China. He was influenced by poets like Li Bo and Tu Fu. Readers enjoy his use of mysticism, themes of life and memory, as well as his use of silence in his work. His poems are sometimes lyrical in nature and other times narrative or personal.
‘From Blossoms’ describes the simple joys of summer. It uses peaches to explore the vivid interconnectedness of the world.
From blossoms comes
this brown paper bag of peaches
we bought from the boy
at the bend in the road where we turned toward
‘Eating Together’ by Li-Young Lee is a beautiful contemporary poem about death. It uses a thoughtful simile and direct language.
How does it feel when the body and the soul are not in conjunction? Read Li-Young Lee’s meditative piece ‘Immigrant Blues’ to understand what it really feels like.
People have been trying to kill me since I was born,
a man tells his son, trying to explain
the wisdom of learning a second tongue.
‘Persimmons’ by Li-Young Lee is a beautiful poem that describes the poet’s interest in language. It explores how a persimmon comes to symbolize both his family connections and his feelings of alienation from his peers.
‘The Gift’ by Li-Young Lee is an effective contemporary poem about the way a father’s voice and attitude influenced his son.
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