Shaomei Yu - The Closed Door

Chinese-American poet Shaomei Yu reflects on loss and transition with Zen-like sparseness in her poem “The Closed Door”. “I was deeply inspired by Zhuangzi’s dream of a butterfly and ancient Chinese poetry from the Tang dynasty, with its rich imagery, connection to nature, and profound self-reflection,” Shaomei informed us here at The Dewdrop.

The Closed Door

A small bookshop on Westwood Blvd—
where I spent my weekends
reading about Zhuangzi’s dream
of a butterfly and a butterfly’s dream
of Zhuangzi

Last Saturday I returned
to continue dreaming
but found only a closed door
with a notice taped to it:

Dear friends, we’re sorry
to say goodbye after a decade
Happy reading to all

It wasn’t even autumn—
leaves tumbling
in the dust

Through the glass
a long empty bookshelf
alone in the dark

I stood there—
could almost smell paper and ink
For a second, I forgot the way home

Shaomei Yu

Shaomei Yu is a bilingual poet with a passion for capturing life’s moments in verse. She moved to the U.S. from China in the 1990s. She believes poetry is a universal language that transcends boundaries and connects people across cultures. Shaomei holds an M.S. in Industrial Management from Stony Brook University and a B.A. in Biology from Zhejiang University. She is the author of the Chinese-language poetry and prose collection Whims of Inspiration (靈感的捉弄), published by Zhejiang Literature and Art Publishing House in 2006. Her English-language work has appeared in Moonstone Press anthologies, Fjords Review, Cathexis Northwest Press, The Raven Review, The Dewdrop, and The Write Launch (forthcoming), among other publications. Her website is https://shaomeiyu.wordpress.com