Quicksilver Killed Qin, But

“There are still many alchemists
Of the Chinese language living
Healthy lives in China today.”
Any labor reform camp can
Become a university,
But who can trust the survivors
To serve as tenured faculty?

There’s nothing too cruel for humans
To do to each other for words,
Which makes most humans shake their heads
About humanity, while we,
Who are the words, nothing to shake,
Worry our cruel absurdity,
Source and telos of alchemy.