—lemniscus (n.) a plane curve with a characteristic “figure-eight” shape consisting of two loops that meet at a central point,” 1811, from Late Latin lemniscus “a pendent ribbon”…. (Etymology Online at https://www.etymonline.com/search?q=lemniscate)
—In Christian numerology, the number 888 represents Christ the Redeemer. In Chinese numerology, 888 has a different meaning, triple fortune, a strengthening of the meaning of the digit 8. (Wikipedia “888” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/888_(number)
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Three roadside infinities
gawp through the glisten
of their translucent looping noose,
an eternal ribbon of tripled fortune
enduring past vanished burdens
long ago redeemed.
Gutter to ocean, an implacable
embrace awaits.
♦
Fiona Tinwei Lam’s recent book of poetry, Odes & Laments, contains odes to ordinary objects inspired by Pablo Neruda’s Odes to Common Things, as well as laments about plastic pollution and other human incursions upon the natural world. She has authored two previous poetry books and a children’s book. She edited The Bright Well: Contemporary Canadian Poems on Facing Cancer and co-edited Love Me True: Writers Reflect on the Ins, Outs, Ups & Downs of Marriage with Jane Silcott. She has won The New Quarterly’s Nick Blatchford Occasional Verse prize and was a finalist for the City of Vancouver Book Award. Her work appears in over thirty anthologies, including The Best of the Best Canadian Poetry in English: The Tenth Anniversary Edition and Forcefield: 77 Women Poets of BC. Her poetry videos, including “Plasticnic”, a tongue in cheek short animated video poem, have screened at festivals locally and internationally. She teaches at Simon Fraser University’s Continuing Studies. fionalam.net
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