Like a Star
by Zhangqi Yan
A mountain stands, bare of trees or grass,
It is painted yellow and green.
At the top, a single red flower burns.
The shadow is like a star.
Beside it sits a stuffed koala toy,
its fur the color of forgotten days.
Behind, the school rises.
There are five floors.
In the corridor, a girl walks slowly,
books pressed to her chest, sunlight caught in her hair.
What is your name? The mountain knows.
The sky is blue; the sunshine is gentle.
And somehow, the mountain seems lower than before.