Under the old bridge, I met a young man while taking a walk. He wore coarse cloth and looked across the river.
“It is going to rain soon. Are you waiting for someone?”
“Yes. She told me she would come.”
“How long have you been waiting here?”
“A long, long time.”
“What is your name? Maybe I can carry a message for you.”
“Just call me Weisheng.”
“What? What did you say your name was?”
“Weisheng.”
“Then who is the person you are waiting for?”
“Godot,” he said.
“The Miss Godot who lives under the old tree at the west end of the village.”
Notes:
- Weisheng: From Zhuangzi, Robber Zhi. The story tells of Weisheng waiting under a bridge for a woman who never arrives. When the water rises, he holds onto the bridge pillar and dies, becoming a symbol of keeping faith until death.
- Godot: From Samuel Beckett’s absurdist play Waiting for Godot, symbolizing a hope or salvation that is always awaited but never arrives.
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