每天早晨，我從孤兒院院長

Each morning I eat an orange

送來的一大袋橘子裡

from the bagful given us

吃掉一個，

by the head of the orphanage,

袋子始終那麼滿。

and still the bag is full.

下午，在旅遊巴士上

Afternoons on the tour bus

你在我懷中入睡

you sit in my lap and sleep

或抓緊我的石榴石項鍊

or cling to my garnet necklace

塞進你僅有的四顆小牙間。

biting it with all four teeth.

車窗外

Out the bus’s window

廣州街頭往來的自行車

the bicyclists of Guangzhou

後輪上平衡著

balance boxed refrigerators

紙箱包裝的電冰箱

and crates of live hens

和一籠籠活雞。

above their back spokes.

媽你看，我鬆開車把了

Look ma, no hands

另一位新手父親說笑著

another new parent jokes

調整鏡頭對準

as he refocuses his lens

三個剛剛翻了

to catch a trio of girls

三個完美側空翻的女孩

turning perfect cartwheels

尖叫著

before they begin to squeal

對相機做鬼臉。

and mug for the camera.

那天在孤兒院

A cluster of girls that age

一群年齡相仿的女孩

and one albino boy

和一個白化病男孩

posed for their pictures

一起擺姿勢拍照。

that day at the orphanage.

「歡迎美國家庭」

“Welcome American families”

黑板上寫著。

the chalkboard read.

這些是我們最好的孩子

These are our best babies

你爸爸無意間聽到

your father overheard

有人用普通話說，

someone say in Mandarin

你隨即被帶進來，

as you were carried in

我從椅子上彈起

and I shot out of my seat

從「阿姨」手中接過你，

to take you from your “auntie”

將你抱緊。

and hold you close.

你穿著一層

You were wearing layers

又一層衣服

on layers of clothes

外面裹了一條臃腫的揹帶褲，

topped by bulging overalls

繡著粉花的

and pink appliquéd

白布鞋

white cotton shoes

有些包不住你的腳趾

too small for your toes

但看起來柔軟，精巧。

but soft and delicate.

你的。你是我的。

Yours. And you mine.

短髮之下

Under close-cropped hair

你的大眼睛打量我

your big eyes took me in

閃過一剎那的辨認。

with a glint of recognition.

然後，是錢幣

Then, after an exchange

和禮物的交換，

of currency and gifts,

衆人站在一處

everyone stood to watch

看新進的母親們

the new mothers change

給孩子換尿布，

their babies’ diapers,

那些青春期女孩

the adolescent girls

和那個白化病男孩

and one albino boy

留在門外

just outside the door

乖巧的表情似乎

looking sweet enough

足以原諒眼前的費解之事：

to forgive the inexplicable,

我們當中沒有一個上前

that none of us had come

接他們回家。

to take them home.

拉扯吧，盡如你意，

Tug, tug all you like,

我親愛的——直到你再次

my darling—tug till you’re back

入睡，拉扯你的夢，

asleep, tug in your dreams,

拉住它

start tugging again

醒來——

the minute you wake—

不管你多麼

no matter how hard

用力，你的誕生石項鍊

you tug, your birthstone

也不會扯斷。

necklace will not break.