By GENIE NAKANO
I’m oriental
exotic, mysterious
my eyes always half closed
with a sultry
inner smile
no, not generic Asian—
Mongolian, Chinese, Japanese, Cambodian, Thai…
my, my
I’m Oriental from the Orient
Now orient yourself, right now
I’m multi-grain
mixed with yellow sunshine
Kung Fu, Karate rice
whites and blacks
LAPD cop car’s color combo
do you get it
and who cares
take me on a slow boat to China
opium’s smoky rooms
lined with silken cushions
say what?!@%$$$
build the great wall
block it out
isolate,
hello,
Commander Perry
a name is a name
color is a color
but my rods and cones
undulate in a sea of silence
where darkness is
my undercover
silence is my solace
sitting still
and diving inwards
way too noisy up here
pushing , grabbing
for the big fish tail
from a muck filled sea
I’ll take the slow boat
in the next wind
ching , chong, China man
Black boy
pulls his eyes into slits
while cuz and I
walk the Coliseums Rose Garden
laughing at his antics
what else is there to do
Oh, lovely Oriental women
where is your man
he comes in many guises
hot and spicy
wasabi
is mine
good for cleaning
out the system
replenishing the kidneys
this Genie’s done for now
don’t bottle me in
bother me with your troubles
Bernie in Seattle
couldn’t speak above the anger
who am I to try
swallow it in
and shit it out
besides
I don’t own a gun…
yet
Genie Nakano is widely published in journals, and her recent books, Enter the Stream and Storyteller are available on Amazon. She teaches gentle yoga and tanka at the Japanese Cultural Center in Gardena. Genie can be reached by email.