York

A cutting from SE Review, turned yellow, on surfers at Big Wave Bay

in the storm—the image captures the back of my brother who failed the dreams
dreamt on him, left school at sixteen in Ferrari board shorts and a fish surfboard

with rainbow graphics. A scrape on the face, now laid among dust in the bedroom,

it’s a reticent witness to two sturdy, impetuous legs galloping on the violent beach
and paddling against the surge under the hurricane in ’99 named York.   My brother confronted the engulfing wall of water in the white splashes of rain,

riding on top of the breaking curl of the wave at a height he’d never reached
in life, propelled further and further towards the horizon of the grey sky, 
not slowing down for a split second, not looking back. 

Note: The longest-lasting hurricane on record, York invaded Hong Kong on 16 September 1999, causing two deaths, injuries for some 500, and uprooting more than 4,000 trees. Hundreds of people fled their homes due to landslide and flooding.

About the Author

Arthur Leung holds a M.F.A. in creative writing (with distinction) from the University of Hong Kong. He is a regular performer of his poetry and has been featured in the Hong Kong Literature Festival and Hong Kong International Literary Festival. Leung serves as an associate editor for Cha and is on the international editorial board of Yuan Yang. In 2008, he won the Edwin Morgan International Poetry Competition, and in 2009 he was commended by the Home Affairs Bureau of the Hong Kong SAR government for his outstanding artistic accomplishments.