Originally published at A Poet's Worth. You can comment here or there.

I just got a new cellphone number.  for those of you who want to stay in touch and update your records, shoot me an email (jon@jonathanchin.com) and I’ll hit back with the new number.

Originally published at A Poet's Worth. You can comment here or there.

my track record at sparring class is … not so good.  last week, I made a girl keel over with pain, crying.  and yesterday, 3 guys walked into the dojang and 1 person walked out uninjured.

I don’t think disparaging is the correct word.  though, to be honest, the girl had a ( Read more... )

Originally published at A Poet's Worth. You can comment here or there.

sitting upstairs right now in a duffel bag and a generic large blue plastic bag are 20 Tae Kwon Do uniforms.  it’s really amazing to think that I am a vehicle or a tool through which these uniforms will find bodies and fill out.  I’ve dressed my kids in uniforms before but that ( Read more... )

Originally published at A Poet's Worth. You can comment here or there.

so I’m about to have dim sum with my parents today.  I turn to my father and ask him about this tshirt I saw him wear once.  it’s mine and it says Students for the Environment and it has a giant tree on it and it’s yellow.  pimping, right?  well, I got it for doing a show with ( Read more... )

Originally published at A Poet's Worth. You can comment here or there.

I am 23 1/2 years old.  I have a bachelor’s degree with an eye out for an MFA.  I’m a semi professional poet who toured nationally.  in various contexts, people have looked up to me for inspiration.  still, I have a hero.

he’s a 2nd grade teacher who also teaches African drumming ( Read more... )

Originally published at A Poet's Worth. You can comment here or there.

recently, I’ve developed an emotional attachment to food.  in hindsight, it started about 7 years ago but I’ve been really feeling it the last 2 or 3.  it just gives me so much pleasure to eat.  and it’s not just like chocolate, but all things.

I associate certain tastes with ( Read more... )

Originally published at A Poet's Worth. You can comment here or there.

stop trying to be happy
start trying to be useful

Originally published at A Poet's Worth. You can comment here or there.

so I work the afterschool circuit.  this means that I usually start commuting to work around 3pm, when schools get out.  every day, my bus route picks up a lot of Catholic school girls.  some of them are very attractive, to say the least.  well, that’s another blog post…

today, ( Read more... )

Originally published at A Poet's Worth. You can comment here or there.

it just occurred to me: if I can eat waffles with maple syrup, then why can’t I eat waffles with cake frosting?

…diabetes, ho!

Originally published at A Poet's Worth. You can comment here or there.

last summer, after graduation, I was pretty strapped for cash. I had just forked over $600 for my black belt. I had no job or only made $30 a week. one day, I was starving and bought a sandwich at Subway. it came out to be like $5.38 and I only had $5.25 in my pocket so I charged ( Read more... )