火 盆

火性未死的草木灰

拌上礱糠

一盆沒有明火的火。

暖和了冬日裡下河的冷腸子

被雨雪弄濕的鞋襪

晾在火盆邊

烤出男人的味道。

圍坐的婆娘納鞋底、拉家常

話頭與鞋繩纏繞在一起，扯來扯去

梳著油亮亮黑辮子

十五六的妹子，學著織毛衣

藏頭，跳針，繞線圈兒

很對女孩兒心思，一點也不難學

往火盆裡種豆豆、花生和葵子

孩子們睜大一只只眼晴

盯住火灰的彈動與一聲爆響。

1970年的冬天

帶著點焦糊味道，從火盆中溢出

A Fire Pan

The unquenched plant ashes mixed with rice chaff

made a pan of hot fire without open flames

that brought warmth to the villagers.

Shoes and socks soaked in the rain

and snow were placed beside the fire pan.

They exuded the pungent smell of man.  

Sitting around the fire pan, housewives

chitchatted，and stitched layered cloth soles

in preparation for making shoes.

On and on, their shoe lines entangled

with the thread of their discourse.

A bright, black-braided, teenage girl

keenly learned how to knit a sweater.

The children buried shelled peanuts, peas

or sunflower seeds in embers in the fire pan.

Then stared with wide eyes, waiting

pop, pop, pop” and the burnt smell

emitted from the fire pan,

a smell of the winter in 1970.