Of Luminous Bacteria
I saw that congregation
flash like dinoflagellates,
our bays of light in breaking waves,
all glowing footprints of the milky sea.
Whirling scourge, the plains of snow
traverse night’s native shade,
a light like a swamp light
for ten thousand miles.
Geometry of the Mantis
The mantis has been praying in the amber
for 30 million years.
What of God was learned?
What is time to the traveller
frozen by the light?
French Indochina, 1900
The wife and the daughter of the governor-general
stand at the steps of a Buddhist temple.
This old film quivers. Fervent charity:
they merrily in great gowns toss
unstrung coins at conquered children.
Sins in multitude scramble at their feet
like pigeons after bread.
On the temple gate behind the women, it was written:
“See the majestic manifestation
of the god’s divine power
and feel the true heart of Buddha
with devotion in the millions.”
This was the poverty of humanity
in French Indochina, 1900.
Scattered Candles in the Night
Lives and cities past were scattered
candles in the night, their ages dark
not for their ignorance but ours —
the failure of earth’s archives,
the frailty of flesh and bone.
Incandescent, I consist of small things
now, of letters, doors, and dreams
that float dissembled, half-
remembered, voiceless
visits in a child’s memory.
Among the fictions and factions,
our passing conversations,
I arrange myself on a table
like disastrous constellations
made of disparate foreign stars
Nicholas Tyler Ng is a poet in New York. His work balances image and sound, utilizing techniques of collage and found language. It deals with themes of personal and collective history, empire, and the natural world. He is a finalist of the 2025 National Poetry Series Open Competition.
