CHINESE NAMES

Watched the horrible movie ELEKTRA and I noticed something: in Hollywood, Asians only play Asians. This is very limited: it's either Yakuza, Ninjas, Samurais or friend of the cute girl.

 Spent so much time   

calling ourselves “visionary.”   

Cereal box reading   

while someone’s sawing the wife.   

 

We’re left to wander,   

as we wonder: what happened   

while napping. 

All mapped out, but didn’t matter.  

 

Dancing for no one, we were warned

and we lost count.

 

Forgot our Fathers,

with no condemnation of bastardy:

Changes slid in, thief-like,

and with erosion,

all the coastlines changed.

Until we’re all strangers and slaves,

shaving with rusty blades,

struggling to remember our Chinese names.

 

Human waves crashing

All train tracks overgrown

Shameful secret handshakes

when we chance furtive glances

in tunnels, under bridges,

burned out banks.

 

Outlasted   

The tethers snapped   

and some sleeping thing woke up;

stamped out all the foreign fires,   

and we’re left with watery eyes.