2 poems! one on food and the other on... death. kind of!
First of all, I'm sorry I haven't been on LJ or Twitter that often lately. I really need to catch up on my reading material and I have a midterm tomorrow I haven't even studied for. Why do I always do this to myself? On the plus side, I got an A on my Dr. Zhivago paper! \o/ That was definitely a pleasant surprise.
Purple Rice
i
sitting cross-legged under the sun,
cut grass prickling my calves and
under bent knees, she asked,
what is that? are you eating purple rice?
i arched my shoulders and turned
at an angle to hide it all away.
ii
rounding the corner, we were hit
by a pungent stench far worse
than anything else i’ve come across
in china town.
stinky tofu,
mom later explained,
a taiwanese delicacy.
i scrunched my nose.
iii
at our so-called kids’ table, we all laughed
while i bit off a shrimp’s head and sucked.
frog legs? that’s not bizarre,
kevin snorted, unimpressed.
yeah, it just tastes like chicken,
my sister agreed, then passed me her unwanted
heads, dripping rusty orange.
iv
gathered around the food court at 99,
we stared at the racks of whole duck,
and pig, then back at the greasy
compartments of food.
you basically chew on it, right? the skin is good?
andrea tried to grasp the concept
of eating chicken feet as jen and i
smirked.
v
it looks a little scary. why is it black?
my roommate tried for an easy chuckle,
though it came out more nervous
than intended. With an amused grin
i replied,
it’s purple, actually.
---
Graduation Trip at Sunset Beach
Like a streak of lightning
cutting through storm clouds,
an electric surge
burst within me as I
caught sight of the shore ahead.
School-weary limbs tore
against waves and the moon.
They had said it was probably
a heart attack that claimed you.
You were forty-nine and alone
in that salmon - not pink - colored home
somewhere in San Jose.
I tasted the salt of the Pacific,
felt it scorch down the back
of my throat, rough, jagged
as if choking on sand.
Blowing off homework,
tripping over calculus,
stuffing report cards
between pages of text books,
I started to sink deeper.
You went to Anna, Daniel and Andrea,
had them pick my brain,
though I didn't know
until later. Your slant
way of guiding me through fog,
showing me how to stay above
numbers and time.
Struggling to stand
when the ocean threw me
on my hands and knees,
I tilted my head back as fits
of uncontrollable laughter
shook my bones.
Purple Rice
i
sitting cross-legged under the sun,
cut grass prickling my calves and
under bent knees, she asked,
what is that? are you eating purple rice?
i arched my shoulders and turned
at an angle to hide it all away.
ii
rounding the corner, we were hit
by a pungent stench far worse
than anything else i’ve come across
in china town.
stinky tofu,
mom later explained,
a taiwanese delicacy.
i scrunched my nose.
iii
at our so-called kids’ table, we all laughed
while i bit off a shrimp’s head and sucked.
frog legs? that’s not bizarre,
kevin snorted, unimpressed.
yeah, it just tastes like chicken,
my sister agreed, then passed me her unwanted
heads, dripping rusty orange.
iv
gathered around the food court at 99,
we stared at the racks of whole duck,
and pig, then back at the greasy
compartments of food.
you basically chew on it, right? the skin is good?
andrea tried to grasp the concept
of eating chicken feet as jen and i
smirked.
v
it looks a little scary. why is it black?
my roommate tried for an easy chuckle,
though it came out more nervous
than intended. With an amused grin
i replied,
it’s purple, actually.
---
Graduation Trip at Sunset Beach
Like a streak of lightning
cutting through storm clouds,
an electric surge
burst within me as I
caught sight of the shore ahead.
School-weary limbs tore
against waves and the moon.
They had said it was probably
a heart attack that claimed you.
You were forty-nine and alone
in that salmon - not pink - colored home
somewhere in San Jose.
I tasted the salt of the Pacific,
felt it scorch down the back
of my throat, rough, jagged
as if choking on sand.
Blowing off homework,
tripping over calculus,
stuffing report cards
between pages of text books,
I started to sink deeper.
You went to Anna, Daniel and Andrea,
had them pick my brain,
though I didn't know
until later. Your slant
way of guiding me through fog,
showing me how to stay above
numbers and time.
Struggling to stand
when the ocean threw me
on my hands and knees,
I tilted my head back as fits
of uncontrollable laughter
shook my bones.