The Chinese Nightingale, and Other Poems

In the opening poem, a humble laundryman named Chang becomes a conduit for a fantastical vision that fuses the clatter of a San Francisco night with the mythic echoes of ancient China. A bright, gray nightingale sings of forgotten love, jade carvings, and silk‑woven histories, while the city’s streetlamps flicker like distant lanterns. The piece swirls between the ordinary and the otherworldly, inviting listeners to hear a timeless song that bridges cultures and eras.

The collection expands this lyrical curiosity into a kaleidoscope of American concerns, wartime reflections, and playful satire. From urgent verses on the Great War to witty odes about mice, presidents, and prairie life, each poem carries Lindsay’s rhythmic vigor and vivid imagination. Together they form a spirited tapestry that captures both the grand sweep of history and the intimate pulse of everyday moments.