Walking Shanghai Night and Day

Walking the streets at night.

It should be dark. 

But this city never sleeps.

Light, life, noise. Cars.

Modernity shining. Enough.

Noise. Everywhere.

No place to rest.

“I’m the passenger and I ride and I ride
I ride through the city's backsides…”

Iggy Pop helps getting me through the night.

No stars in sight. No other side.

I’m alone in the city.

Watching, waiting, missing,

Again walking, looking at homeless

People that aren’t existing.

I’m the foreigner, they are alone too.

Modernity smiles. Too many lights.

“And everything was made for you and me
All of it was made for you and me.”

Still Iggy singing but I don’t see it.

For you, for me, for whom?

The city at night but

Who wants to be Shanghainese?

Red Woman

A too beautiful day

Incredible white sunshine

Makes me close my eyes

Back in the shadows

I only think of you

This full sunshine is

Provoking the first

Impression of what

Real Sunshine  means

To this country

Full of life only

Waiting to show off.

It's like moments

Before we are awake

And realize it

After a while now

Dreaming of love as

Idea of perfection

Idealizing the object

Which turns love into passion.

Geography is destiny.

Marriage an institution

Based on intimidate friendship

Passion a lost ground

Still, attraction travels

Long ways ending in

Love. A last paradox of

Modernity in a world of flows.

But if there is no one around to share?

Love fades, everything flows. No time.

The Red Woman knows,

Money and Reputation are important.

Looks and Love are overrated.

Modernity cries and hits hard.

Shanghai – city of sad stories.

Non-Chinese Chinese City

It seems impossible that there

is something between us

But the way I feel, I know

there is something between us

Walking by day. Second home. People. Space. Air to breath.

Something dazzling the rationality

in my mind, forcing my heart

to dream till dawn

City for people not for cars. Fuxing Park. Flowers. Sunshine. Daily Life.

Touching the craziness,

thinking about it ‘cannot be’

But love chooses us, it cannot be chosen

Marxs and Lenin are also around.

But Mobile phones, dancing and lots of laughter as well.

Writing a thousand lines about

how I miss you

Does not change that the feeling stays and

Silence prevails where once you were

Indifferent Shanghai, non-Chinese Chinese city. I greet you. Walking night and day.

Exhaustion. Second home.  We disagree. Here and there, only in-between. Everyday and every day again. 

November 2013

Copyright by Nadine Godehardt

A nearly 12 hours walk during my last long stay in November 2013 which ended in Fuxing Park.