漢英雙語詩〈有一次我要一隻鳥唱歌〉

漢英雙語詩〈有一次我要一隻鳥唱歌〉刊登於《芝加哥時報》2023.4.28 William Marr's bilingual poem ONCE I ASKED A BIRD TO SING appeared in Chicago Chinese News, 2023.4.28 〈有一次我要一隻鳥唱歌〉 牠說我唱 不出來也不想唱 這不是春天 我捏著牠的脖子 說 唱呀唱呀 不唱歌算什麼鳥 牠掙扎著 但終於沒唱成 我現在想 其實鳥沒錯 又不是詩人 哪能一年到頭 說唱就唱 但那時候我只一心 要牠唱歌 竟沒注意到 春天就在我手中 微顫著 斷氣 ONCE I ASKED A BIRD TO SING he said no, I can’t and I won’t it’s not spring I grasped his neck and yelled SING! SING! WHAT KIND OF BIRD ARE YOU IF YOU DON’T SING he gasped and struggled but to the end he did not utter one single note I now realize it really wasn’t his fault even a poet could not sing uninspired but possessed by a burning passion I insisted on his singing then and there and did not notice in my hand spring had expired in agony