“Nightmare in Chinese” contemporary figurative painting. acrylic on canvas. 18 in x 24 in.

“Nightmare in Chinese” contemporary figurative painting

I want to start exploring half-formed notions and things I don’t fully understand. I want to start pursuing real art and real poetry and not just focus on the icons.

I spent hours debating the title of this picture and poem. Poetry is an endless regress, and then there is the whole philosophical question of who the audience is. Chinese may be foreign for me, but it is familiar for about a billion people. Should the title be “Nightmare in Greek?” Same problem. Plus it would be a little cliche due to the expression “It’s Greek to me.” Anyway, here is my Cyrillic nightmare:

Nightmare in Chinese

A virus,
a vampire,
a nightmare far from home,
the fever dream
that will not stop
chanted in an unknown tongue.