Poem 1
Ode to My Mother
She is the color red,
Though stinging and bright,
Red also symbolizes purity, joy,
Happiness, and prosperity.
She is the end of winter weather,
When frost-bitten trees
Melt away to reveal the life
Hidden underneath all along.
She is a babbling brook,
Her continuous talking,
Echoing in the silence that is my family,
Without her the silence would be too much.
She is a light wind on a sunny day,
Keeping us cool from the scorching sun,
Not present, but present all at once,
Washing color into the world.
My Dear Mother
My mother
So gentle
Yet so strong
She is the color red,
Though stinging and bright,
Red also symbolizes purity, joy,
Happiness, and prosperity.
She is the end of winter weather,
When frost-bitten trees
Melt away to reveal the life
Hidden underneath all along.
She is a babbling brook,
Her continuous talking,
Echoing in the silence that is my family,
Without her the silence would be too much.
She is a light wind on a sunny day,
Keeping us cool from the scorching sun,
Not present, but present all at once,
Washing color into the world.
My mother
So gentle
Yet so strong
Poem 2
Alaskan Fishing
As we wade through,
The rushing river,
Our legs make a divergence,
In the fast flowing waters.
The carpet of gold,
Shifts and moves,
With fins and tails,
Struggling to swim free.
I scrunch my toes,
Feeling rocks beneath the rubber soles,
Standing in the salmon river
Surrounded by rolling mountains,
I inhale fresh Alaskan air,
My yellow fishing hat
Clashes with the green vegetation,
A happy mushroom
Sitting on my head,
Watches as I reel in
A wiggling fish.
Two hooks
Firmly planted on his lower lip
And desperation in his flapping gills
Made me unhook the wire
And set him free
The night soon came
And I waded back out the waters calmer and slower
Two poles
Held like flags
Raised high and swung in the air
Waved my final goodbye
To the Alaskan river.
Fish Tales
In the rushing river
Our legs make a divergence
As we wade through
The carpet of gold
In the fast flowing waters
With fins and tails
Struggling to swim free
Shifts and moves
Feeling rocks beneath my rubber soles
I scrunch my toes
As I inhale fresh Alaskan air,
Standing in the salmon river
Surrounded by rolling mountains
Clashing with the green vegetation
My yellow fishing hat
Sits on my head
And watches as I reel in
A wiggling fish
Desperation in his flapping gills
And two hooks
Firmly planted on his lower lip
Made me unhook the wire
And set him free
I waded back out the waters calmer and slower
When the night came
Held like flags
Raised high and swung in the air
My two fishing poles
Waved a final goodbye
To the Alaskan river
Poem 3
Dear Friends
I remember when we were little
We would gather around
A crabapple tree
After Chinese school
We’d talk and laugh
Under its shade
Our sock tans were evident
When we took off our sneakers
To run around
We didn’t have a care in the world
About grades or work
Only the caressing grass beneath our feet
Brushing up on our ankles
As we played tag
We did other things, too
Don’t you remember?
Sucking in our stomachs
When we were in ballet class on Tuesdays
In art class, we drew and painted
All sorts of silly things
On a chilly Halloween night
We’d dress up
As witches and vampires
And even pigs, pizzas and hamburgers
We’d open up a candy market
When we got back
And traded candy
One snickers
For two laffy taffies.
No, three, you’d say,
Then it was a done deal.
Eventually, everyone grew up
We moved on
Different schools made us
Grow apart
You guys all stopped going
To Chinese school
We all quit ballet
And gave up on art
And now when Halloween rolls around
You all will trick or treat
With your new found friends
Sometimes I still walk by
That crab apple tree
It’s still there
Just overgrown a little
And missing a few happy, laughing children
Running beneath it.
Childhood Friends
I remember when we were little
We would gather around
A crabapple tree
After Chinese school
We’d talk and laugh
Under its shade
Our sock tans were evident
When we took off our sneakers
To run around
We didn’t have a care in the world
About grades or work
Only the caressing grass beneath our feet
Brushing up on our ankles
As we played tag
We did other things, too
Don’t you remember?
Sucking in our stomachs
When we were in ballet class on Tuesdays
On a chilly Halloween night
We’d dress up
As witches and vampires
And even pigs, pizzas and hamburgers
We’d open up a candy market
When we got back
And traded candy
One snickers
For two laffy taffies.
No, three, you’d say,
Then it was a done deal.
Today we are still friends
Though different schools
Tried to pull us apart
We still manage
To have the same fun
We always did
Even without Chinese school
And ballet
We still get together
Like old times
And trick or treat
In your neighborhood
We aren’t the same children
Sprinting under the crab apple tree
But still find our ways
To stay
In touch
Poem 4
Chapstick
A yellow tube
Of Carmex chapstick
Sits on the table
Half used up
Everyone Uses Chapstick
A lemon yellow tube
Of Carmex chapstick
Sits on the table
Half depleted
Long fingers
With bright blue nails
Pick it up
And unscrews the red cap
Long fingers
With neon blue nails
Pick it up
And detach the scarlet red cap
Carefully tracing
her dainty lips
Then she rubbed them together
And puckered
Carefully tracing
her dainty mouth
Then she rubbed her lips together
And pursed
Slipping on two gloves
Charcoal black with a few holes
And a facemask to match
She twisted the doorknob
Slipping on two gloves
Slate black with a few holes
And a facemask to complement
She twisted the doorknob
Two fast steps
Towards the edge of the building
From her right breast pocket came a gun
She pointed it and shot
Two fast strides
Towards the ledge of the building
From her right breast pocket came a gun
She pointed it and pulled the trigger
Her aim
Straight as an arrow
Pierced cleanly
And her chapstick covered lips pulled into a grin.
Her aim
Straight as an arrow
Pierced cleanly
And her chapstick covered lips pulled into a smirk