Introduction to Kongyin’s Poetry Collection <<the Lantern Carrier>>

— My “Secret Lover”

On a cloudy day, a bunch of yellow roses appeared suddenly on my office desk; petals still dripping with dew, ready to brighten the gloomy sky. Who gave me these flowers? I wondered. I asked my students if they knew anything about it, but all shook their heads, while one of the humorous students commented, “You must have a secret lover, and the flowers were left by him…”

Later I did find out who gave me the roses; it was a close friend of mine, not any Secret Lover. As a matter of fact, I do have a Secret Lover, except he is not a person; rather what we usually call “the cosmos”, “God”, “Buddha”, “Tao” etc.  All the love poems I write, I write for Him.

I often have the impression that in our modern world, we put too much emphasis on human relationships, as if nothing else matters. As a result, humans often end up living very stressed lives.  For me, there is one relationship that is much more important­ — the relationship between the universe and me. Every morning when I get up, the first thing I do is  open the window and greet the still dark sky; before going to bed, the last thing I do is bid the stars a good night. When I live in a harmonious relationship with the cosmos, every other relationship becomes harmonious in turn.

I like philosophy, metaphysics, as well as religion, but my free heart is unwilling to be restrained by any human imposed forms. Hence, I never know what else I could possibly love more, for up to now, my heart has belonged to only one single “person” — my Secret Lover; the One who has granted me freedom, life and love.