Saturday, 10 June 2023

Four Poems by Jackie Chou

 



The Performance 

 

You walk in,

instilling darkness into the room,

like God sprinkling the night 

into the sky 

with His deft hands,

and suddenly 

the sunset disappears.

 

Where has my spotlight gone?

You've stolen the brightness 

that enveloped me so warmly,

and replaced it 

with this cold blackness.

 

This romance

was never part of the show,

which was meant to be a comedy.

I'm now a tragic heroine,

improvising a sad monologue 

you've added to the script.



Not Another Hallmark Love Poem



What would I be 

without my heartaches?


Would I be naked, 

as I wear pain like a dress?


What would I be 

without being kicked around,

like a ball in the dirt?


I thought you played baseball,

not soccer.


What would I be 

without a splinter in my flesh?


Maybe I would be free

to flutter away,

my wings uninjured.



The People-Eater 



I'm cherry-blossom pink,

robin's egg blue.


Here I come, people-eater.

Here I come,

your cotton candy girl.


Can you spot me in the crowd 

with my poofy hair?

Can you smell my sweet scent?


Shred by shred,

I melt in your mouth,

until I am no more.


Just a lingering taste

on your tongue.



Red 



On the Starbucks patio,

everything around me 

carries a red tone.


I see red, and hear red,

as the siren of a red ambulance 

blares in my ears.


Something tells me

they're here to take me away,

for writing dangerous poems.


Red-arrow-stares 

from their dark windows,

pierce my red-target back.


Maybe someday, my red heart

would see the colour red 

in a different light.


It's good luck,

like a red dragonfly

dipping into a fountain,

on a red-hot day.




Jackie Chou is a poet of Japanese short-form poetry and free verses from Southern California who gets her inspiration from both her inner world and outer surroundings.  Besides writing, she loves to watch Jeopardy and talent competitions on TV.


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