Tropical Rain Forest
Liu Kexiang

Took a tour to a small island between the Equator and the Tropic of Cancer. Wet, humid green, ceaselessly fattening in the air. For five days running, we pass through the rain forest. There is no snow or prairie, nor hibernation, even in dreams. An ornithologist in our group is here to look for a horned osprey particular to this place, a species on the brink of extinction. Every evening as dusk descends, we call out in imitation of this bird, but all we hear is our own weak voices, sent out unanswered. The aboriginal guide says: without sound, the forest will disappear. And I am once again too upset to sleep; awake for the entire night, I press my cheek to the Earth, spreading out my arms into a curve and holding it tight.