Poem posted for smashing today and commented on

By Ouyang Yu

 《误读13.5.4》

读到简单的诗时

我稍微停顿了一下

因为这个标题：

《胡美丽的精液》


读着读着

讲的好像都是别的

东西

再一看，原来不是


我的视力在厕所

似乎更不济了

那个标题是

《胡美丽的情欲》


Ouyang's self-comment: I wrote the poem back in 2013 while I was teaching in Shanghai. And while compiling my next book of poetry, written in Chinese, I bumped into it and thought: Why not? Then I had someone on duty today posting it for smashing, with my name concealed, that is, posted anonymously.


Many commentators disliked the poem, saying they can't read it. One, though, is appreciative of the misreading that I made in it, possibly a deliberate misreading although I can't remember it any more.


The comment was made by Chris Johnson, as follows:


'No 1 - taps into that long vein of misreading, and the wonderful (or potentially dangerous) consequences that may follow. The sexual connotations are interesting.'

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