Hongwei Bao

You jump into my bed,Your sandpaper face rubbing my neck,Your warm breath moistening my hair,Your rhythmic snores ringing in my eardrums.Now I’m wide awake,eyes fixed on that small, oval-shaped devicebeside the table lamp, anticipatingthe alarm to go off at any minute.I will then whisper to the flicking blue light:Alexa, stop!It will stop, for it wakes up much … [Read more...] about Waking Up With Alexa, By: Hongwei Bao

After years of email correspondence,WhatsApp messaging, postcards sentfrom various parts of the world,my doppelgänger finally has agreedto meet up at the Starbucksin Heathrow Airport Terminal 2during his short transit. My latte macchiato is getting cold,my eardrums filled with monotonousannouncements, my eyes getting soregazing at the departure boardthat keeps updating … [Read more...] about Appointment With My Doppelgänger, By: Hongwei Bao

You sit quietly on my kitchen windowarmed with pots, pans and prickly cacti. Your body made of red and white porcelainglitters in the amber afternoon sun. Your raised hand moves back and forth,your charming smile frozen in time. You cheer up my mood every morningagainst England’s grey and gloomy sky. You arrived as a birthday present.I don’t know what … [Read more...] about Beckoning Cat, By: Hongwei Bao

You always ignore mewhen you walk past.In your eyes I’m justa lifeless pool of water. The sun knows me better.He visits every morning,treating me as a diving pool,collecting golden ripples. The moon knows me better.She drops by every evening,seeing me as a dressing tableto unveil her shyness. The ducks know me better.They treat me as their playground,bringing … [Read more...] about Pond, By: Hongwei Bao

When I think of Brighton, what jumps into my mindis not the grey, roaring sea against a cold, silver sky.Nor the colourful lights of the Brighton Pier that shinedeep into the night. Nor the music of the merry-go-roundthat knows of no sorrow, no age. Nor the smell of fishand chips, battered and soaked in the salty sea air. It is the ubiquitous presence of the seagulls. Their … [Read more...] about Seagulls, By: Hongwei Bao