Wishing for Blue Hair written ‘In Synergy’ with “Green Candle Magic” by Karen Bagnard
I’ve dreamt of blue hair,
like everything else–
false lashes, red lipstick,
you, mother, called the color
of a monkey’s butt,
mini-skirts, pointed-toe shoes–
all the things you
forbade me to have,
fearing they’d make me
less obedient,
a worse daughter.
In your portraits
you have ebony hair,
porcelain skin,
and the darkest brown eyes.
No colored contacts
would make me less
your flesh and blood,
though my skin is rougher,
and my eyes duller.
Nor would they make me
less Chinese,
make my Mandarin accent
less thick.
Nevertheless,
I still wish for blue hair
sometimes–
not to be less ethnic,
less you,
but for the sake of it,
like clothes and makeup
you allowed me to wear,
though reluctantly,
those adolescent years.
Navigating the World With a Green-Scaled Tail written ‘In Synergy’ with “Mermaid” by Karen Bagnard
Not driving in LA
is strange,
like having scales
instead of skin,
a tail instead of legs.
Think mermaid.
Think combing your hair
with a fork.
It stays tangled
no matter how hard you try.
Think dating mermen,
instead of the football player,
the heartthrob in your class.
You’re stuck in a life
of the same shades of blue,
wanting to see
the rest of the world.
You can beg
your fairy godmother for legs,
but the sea glass
under your feet
will be jagged.
Would you be brave enough
to take the first step?
Jackie Chou writes free verses, rhyming poems, and Japanese short form poetry, some of which saw the light of day in journals like Rat’s Ass Review, Alien Buddha Zine, Highland Park Poetry, Fevers of the Mind Poetry Digest, Altadena Poetry Review, and Spectrum Publications. She is also a Jeopardy fan.
