A Single Swallow

by Zhang Ling

We were holding a carnival in the vacuum between war and peace, free even from the law of

gravity. Everyone knew there were only a few such days in our lifetimes, so we did what we could to make a lifetime of those days.

Perhaps I’d guessed it was farewell, but I didn’t want to face it. To the person who is leaving, the attraction of what lies ahead is

greater than what lies behind. Recollection is something that is left for later.