peking welcomes
with a eunuch's grin
cold cold cold

pointless precautions- the hats
gloves, leggings
(and extra socks)
are mocked by an
icy blast
that staples our too-thin coats
to our shivering skins

we stumble through wangfujing

take refuge
for hot dumplings- pear soup
and boiling tea

we glowed ecstatic
in the aftermath

then the forbidden city
bleak
beautiful
and stories of love
and death

a jade palace
opened its doors
with a smirk and a giggle
and the snow cascaded
from a painted roof
as the gweilos ran for cover.

*gweilo=foreigner