Blackout

A fresh perspective of the past trained a generation of Chinese archaeologists, looters and dealers. Ten thousand inscribed fragments came to light. The once-mythical became historical. Gazing into the future:

“We raise three thousand men and call upon them. We receive abundant assistance. Childbearing will be war and harvest, the toothaches of kings. Sacrifices, both human and animal, are feared and respected. Allies or enemies.” Brief and to the point.

And yet with haunting beauty and mystery: “In the afternoon a rainbow out of the North drank the River.” These were magical moments. Or so said an expert on the oracle bones. He explained,

the diviners made a statement about the future. Carefully cleaned and treated, they represented a voice from another world.

The diviner’s statement wanted to capture this moment. The crack in the bone. The logographs.











Becca Wittman lives in Central California, where she spends most of her time studying, working, and writing. She has been published by Words Dance publishing and the Defiant Scribe.