I write poems because there was a poetry journal called Stars which published a special section on my poems.
I write poems because I have to bear the clash of various cultures. There is no way around it, considering the region where I live.
I write poems, because I shed tears whenever I hear the folk songs of my native place.
I write poems, because a lot of people don抰 know the underlying meanings of red, yellow and black梩he three basic colors of the Nuosu.
I write poems because my mother抯 spoken language is lively and rich in humor.
I write poems, because when no one is around I feel like weeping for no reason.
I write poems, because when I was a child of nine I thoughtlessly beat my younger sister, and even now I feel the shame and unease of it.
I write poems, because I have encountered many people who were neither good nor bad.
I write poems, because a Nuose sage gave me instruction in the history, lore, customs, human sentiments, astronomy and geography of our people.
I write poems, because we live in an era of nuclear weapons, but what we wish for most is world peace.
I write poems, because we have explored the meaning of life, and we long for genuine interchange with nature; of course, such a spiritual connection comes from deep in the heart, not from the surface.
I write poems, because I have long wished to hold a dialogue with my people抯 ancient history, yet I often fall mute.
I write poems, because I wish to voice my true feelings and the stirrings in my soul; I can feel a mysterious force drawing me onward.
I write poems, because I hope they will have a Nuosu emotional coloring while belonging to everyone.
I write poems because I have an inborn sense of mission, yet I have never felt this to be a misfortune.
I write poems, because I think human understanding is not empty talk; it requires us to open our arms and give love. To show concern for people抯 fate, if only by learning about a small tribe in depth, makes us more human. This is my unshakeable belief.
I write poems, because we humans live on this earth抯 constantly changing surface; in dealing with ourselves and other living things, we seek to grasp the laws and inner substance.