Seeing Shen Yun in Milwaukee
The curtain rose—divine, resplendent stage,
Where heaven’s hues met earth in living grace.
The dancers turned as petals in the wind,
Each step a vow, each motion born of truth.
Then silence fell—a single voice arose,
A song of gold descending from the clouds.
Her form dissolved, the singer disappeared—
No mortal stood before my watching eyes.
From where she sang, pure radiance unfurled,
And golden light poured outward through the hall.
It filled the air—it filled my heart and bones,
It pierced through flesh, through thought, through memory’s veil.
Each sound became a wave of living light,
Each note a thousand suns that breathed as one.
Through me it passed—bright mercy without end—
And I was scattered, turned to grains of sand.
The Ganges flowed within my very soul,
As darkness fled, dissolved in boundless day.
The filth of lifetimes, hatred, grief, and pride,
The waft of poisoned lies from Marx’s cup—
All gone, released into the cosmic sea,
Consumed by love that knew no trace of pain.
The light withdrew, yet lingered in my chest—
A sun reborn, still pulsing soft and clear.
The stage returned, the dancer bowed once more,
But heaven’s gate had opened in my heart.
O Shen Yun—harp of gods, bright mirror pure—
You sing the world’s redemption into being.
Through beauty’s art, the Buddhas’ mercy wakes
The multitudes as daylight finally breaks.
Yulia Nova is a real estate developer and artist based in Otisville, New York. She holds a BFA in painting, drawing, and sculpture in clay from the Peck School of the Arts in Milwaukee, WI, where her award-winning poetry was published in 2009–2010. She is currently writing a short autobiographical book, reflecting on her family, her upbringing in the former Soviet Union, and the enduring influence of that experience on her life and creative vision.
As the performance impelled a seeming celestial wonder in the viewer, so the poem wondrously describes a transcendent path to heaven’s gate for the reader to imagine. The combination of sensory descriptive words with words naming abstract ideals suggests the headiness of the psychological effect. It corresponds beautifully with the emotional impact felt by many experiencing Shen Yun.
Thank you, Margaret, for this interpretation. It beautifully clarifies how the poem mirrors the transcendent, uplifting feeling of the performance. The connection between the sensory details and the spiritual ideals makes perfect sense now.
A wonderful expression of a life-changing epiphany.
It seemed a bit random throwing ‘filth’ and ‘poisoned lies’ and Marx into the mix. They intruded, I felt, on the overarching positivity of the rest of the poem.
Thanks for the read.
Thank you, Paul, for your thoughtful feedback — I really appreciate you taking the time to read and reflect on the poem. I just wanted to clarify that those references weren’t random additions. They came directly from my own personal experience and the turning point that shaped the epiphany I was describing.
For me, the contrast between the darkness I felt before and the clarity that followed was an essential part of the transformation. But I completely understand how it might stand out tonally from the rest of the piece.
Thanks again for sharing your perspective. It truly helps me see how the poem lands for different readers.
Warmly,
Yulia
Perhaps a note should have been added to this effect: Shen Yun’s tagline is “China Before Communism” and many of its performers and their families escaped persecution for their spiritual beliefs in China. Paul, if you haven’t seen the performance yet, I highly recommend it. Maybe if you visit the UK this Winter? https://www.shenyun.com/uk
Something else to note is that the poet, Yulia Nova, grew up under communism and saw its effects first hand. I’ve updated the bio with some information that was accidentally left out.
-Evan
Oh Yulia my heart is touched, I had tears because you can use the words to describe something that I’m just able to feel with my heart.
Thank you so much for making me feel these emotions that I only feel once a year
Oh Maud, your message touched my heart. ❤️
Thank you for feeling it so deeply — it means more to me than you know.
Beautiful scenes portrayed with words brought me along for the ride.
Thank you, Mimi — that means so much to me. I’m really glad the images carried you along; bringing the reader into the scene is exactly what I hoped for. Your words encourage me.
This is a beautiful poem, Yulia, and tells us about what must have been a very uplifting experience. I love the use of very physical language – “it pierced through flesh,” “heart and bones,” “grains of sand,” “the Ganges flowed” – to capture deep feelings. A deeply soothing read.
Thank you so much for this thoughtful reading. I’m really touched that the physical imagery spoke to you — that experience moved through me so intensely, and I’m glad it came through on the page.
Beautiful description combining the experience with emotion. This is a more in-depth experience that goes beyond what most people see on the surface. I like the reference to Marx’s lies, how true. Well done Yulia!
Patrick, thank you so much for your thoughtful words. I’m really glad the deeper layers came through for you — it was a powerful experience to write about. And yes, those references felt important to include. I appreciate you taking the time to read it and share your thoughts.