Poetry: “The Onion Ghost” by Portia Yu
Portia Yu’s “The Onion Ghost” engages with a number of the most well-known philosophical concepts—the repetition seems to reference Nietzsche’s eternal return, and the mention of being “viewed from any angle” seems referential of Foucault’s panopticon. The idea of layers feels more connected to Eastern religions who view life as a series of levels, a journey from one state of being to another as one moves closer and closer to enlightenment. But Yu takes it further, evoking the character of “The Onion Ghost” who is as mysterious and random as Kafka’s Odradek, or Rick &Morty’s Mr. Poopy Butthole. We love to wonder and speculate and theorize. We love the possible answers no matter how weird they might be. Sometimes a little absurdism is exactly what the doctor ordered. Sometimes, knowing that you don’t know is right where you want to be. The onion cries for all of us and we cry with him. Why? Is this just the fate of the onion? Or is it more complicated? More ominous? Kafka said it best: “I cannot make you understand. I cannot make anyone understand what is happening inside me. I cannot even explain it to myself.”
The Onion Ghost
The ghost of an onion is crying in the corner. This should come as no surprise. The day repeats and repeats once again. Once more, the onion ghost is embedded in the wall. There is something powerful here— the impact of observer on observed. Something pungent— the pressure of imposer on imposed. The onion ghost is well aware it is public property. It can be viewed from any angle. Its existence is all effect and no cause. It can be turned and turned once more. The day is a circle which curves, then spins, then closes in on itself. The onion ghost sobs from its place in the wall. It stands, it sits, it swims in a sea of eyes. Peel all the layers away, you will find in the centre a drop of salt water. It spills the moment you see it.
Portia Yu
Portia Yu (she/her) is a poet from Hong Kong. Her work has appeared in several journals including Strange Horizons, LIKE A FEVER and Crow & Cross Keys. In addition, she has appeared in Where Else: An International Hong Kong Poetry Anthology.
