Land Of Opportunity Poem by Chen-ou Liu

A Tanka Prose


headline news:
'U. of T. Too Asian? '
on my way
to another interview
maple leaves swirling

I stop at traffic lights, and see a Filipino nanny pushing a baby carriage. A second woman, walking in the opposite direction, pushes an old man in a wheelchair who is staring into space.

'Move, Chinaman. Get out of my way, ' a native English speaker yells at me.


Note: U. of T. stands for University of Toronto.