Wordplay

Alex Harrington ’19

We are thrilled to have the work of creative writing major Cole Chang ’19 opening a frosty spring semester’s “Wordplay.” Cole grew up in New York and tends to write about his family, in particular his father with regard to race, cultural heritage and what it means to be a biracial Chinese-American. In addition to creative writing, Cole is also a studio art major and likes to work in painting and photography. He is a big fan of hats, Li-Young Lee, and socialism.

Please enjoy Cole’s poetry!

“Man of the West”

You wanted to play Cowboys and Indians with your father cause the white kids on your block wouldn’t let you. But he was too busy studying Buddhist texts upstairs. Dust on the rug. His fingers playing the Hundred Thousand Songs of Milarepa. You couldn’t understand? What was in those books that wasn’t inside of you? Gave up on Buddha, he took your father away. Turned to John Wayne instead. You watched The Plainsman over and over, watching Gary Cooper killing Indians. Cheered every gunshot. Staring at the screen eating your TV dinner: chicken nuggets and mac’n’cheese. The white kids chased you up and down the street, forced your head down in the dirt. Washed your face in the sink. The brown dripping off your face, disappearing down the drain. You realized you were the Indian. Only American you could be was the one with long black hair. Grew a ponytail. Cut it off with a pocketknife. Graduated early. Went to law school. Moved to the city. Married a white woman. Am I your American dream?

My father never taught me how to use chopsticks.

筷子:

thin like
color of sand
when I try
to pick them up
they just slip
through spaces
in my fingers