The Window (Excerpt)
Once in a lifetime, you will gesture
at an open window, tell the one who
detests the queerness in you that dead
daughters do not disappoint, free your
sore knee from inching towards a kind
of reprieve, declare yourself genderless
as hawk or sparrow: an encumbered body
let loose from its cage.
[...]
Names (Excerpt)
I am trying to talk about you without
mentioning your name, so I say: we
went to see a film last night, meaning
you and I, or she treats me very well,
as in, you love me, or I'm going out
for Indian tonight, implying a candle-
lit dinner for two. It isn't always easy
keeping your name sheltered from my
mother's ears, but I try and try because
[...]
The Importance Of Tea (Excerpt)
When your aunt arrived, she asked for normal tea, which, to my untrained ears, sounded a bit like normality. In Hong Kong, normal tea is green, or white, or red. It took my mind several moments to move from green to white to red to land on black. Your aunt was flexible: any Assam, Darjeeling, or Ear Grey? We only had Matcha, some loose-leaf Iron-Buddha in the cupboard, no milk. Your aunt looked at you as if you'd failed at being British, me as if I'd failed to properly assimilate.
[...]
