There is the emperor’s question
which is after
the question of happiness
and should a shrine be maintained for a meteor with little turquoise blue shoes
there is the emperor’s question whether after
the execution of the imperial consort her finely tooled and pale green saddle
on her white horse
whether he can forget a meal brought to him on a tray his fumbling embrace unrepulsed
can he continue on his journey to Shu
and establish there laws forbidding desire/the future as well as the
past,
Poetry
The Emperor’s Journey to Shu
John Taggart
A Public Space
No. 03
About the author
John Taggart is a professor at Shippensburg State College in Pennsylvania. His latest collection of poems, Pastorelles, was published by Flood Editions last year.