Three Poems

Mrs Tanaka’s Daughter

I think of her at six years of age
She carries her young brother on her back.
She herds the geese and the turkey in the field.
The turkey, taller than Shao Mei
Advances furiously in the yard
Scarlet wattles engorged with purple rage
Its neck and wings outstretched.
Shao Mei hits it on the head with her bamboo
Not sideswiping
But with an exact vertical swoop
Hits the top of its head.
Stunned, the turkey falls to the ground.
Afterwards, it looks at Shao Mei with respect
And dies.
We often think of Mrs Tanaka’s daughter
Small in stature even for that race.
A teenager, she walks home across the graveyard.
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