Cathy Xinman is a Canadian resident who writes poems in English and Chinese. Xinman is also a screenwriter who was honoured with a golden statuette at the San Francisco International New Concept Film Festival in 2023. She also won the Remi Bronze Award for Dramatic Film Screenplay at the Houston International Film Festival in 2024. Below, you can read her English-language poem “There Must Be Laughter Amidst the Dawn”.
There Must Be Laughter Amidst the Dawn
The morning fog transforms the city into a sea,
Buildings appear submerged beneath the waves.
It seems frustrations with rising housing costs
Reflecting people begin to chart a course,
The houses—explorers themselves,
Peering forward, shrinking back,
Half-knowing, half-doubting.
Cold bonfires know only despair on the shore,
Interest rates, inflation, and tariffs rise like icebergs.
I have done my best,
But in truth, I am merely melancholic—
Worthless.
The ocean floor is most suited to darkness.
I am no captain.
If we are to continue surviving,
We must find someone to lead us out to sea.
And so, we begin searching for a captain.
There must be laughter amidst the dawn—
I hear it.
No, I only see it.
My eyes are well-treated,
Also drawn into the race.
The houses will triumph, the city will triumph, this sacred land will surely triumph.
Look, the sun has successfully leapt above the sea’s surface.
Cathy Xinman’s English-language collection is entitled Where You Love Yourself. Find it on Amazon. Learn more about the communities that make up Canada on the Toronto Spark website. The Toronto Spark is on Bluesky @torontospark.bsky.social.
