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I have never read poetry translated from Chinese nor any from factory-workers but, thanks to Matt Webb I’ve been introduced to dagong shige. It appears to be translatable to either “battler’s poetry” or “labor poetry.”
I Swallowed an Iron Moon
I swallowed an iron moon they called it a screw I swallowed industrial wastewater and unemployment forms bent over machines, our youth died young I swallowed labour, I swallowed poverty swallowed pedestrian bridges, swallowed this rusted-out life I can’t swallow any more everything I’ve swallowed roils up in my throat I spread across my country a poem of shame
- (Xu Lizhi)
Sundress
The packing area is flooded with light the iron I’m holding collects all the warmth of my hands I want to press the straps flat so they won’t dig into your shoulders when you wear it and then press up from the waist a lovely waist where someone can lay a fine hand and on the tree-shaded lane caress a quiet kind of love...
- (Wu Xia)
Why am I only now hearing about these poems? Poetry like Wu Xia’s is ten-thousand times more effective at communicating the lives of those who produce most of the world’s goods (or at least the United States).