"taipei" poems
Veasna Ta Kvak recording
playback
over Chinatown cafe again
while recounting recent events
to journal pages
muddled from frequent
exchanges bag to bag
(Been to Taipei airport, Bali, Vancouver, most
recently)
blind fate
blind fate
shower me with Indian daisies
and photographs of Railway
New Delhi!
Hanoi Old Quarter/
Vietnam monsoon/
evening on balcony/
Darjeeling water boiled
and filtered anti-malaria
golden drink for honeylungs and
spring-soul morningtide
under moonlight canopy
of Avalokiteśvara
the fruitful
Bodhisattva!
English lessons
and future
hourless
comely chimera
in sleep phenomenon
Benares phantasmagoria YELLOW
(near Mata Anandamai Ghat)
speaking to Aghori
prophecy
Kala Bhairava
FIERCE ILLUSORY APOCALYPSE FAMILIAR
WHERE IS YOUR NOOSE?
the Ganges is full of lice and flowers
candlewax melted into holy water
sickness
equal to
harmony & jubilant
eyeclose and mouthcurl.
The future mysteries in
Mexico City poorboy
$2 mystic orb jade green
reflective underneath
dirt now in North American
bottom white four floor house
basement suite coffee table.
Visions indivisible
from the Viridian roundly haze
but surefire in their accuracy
I'm absolute
and universally formed
for the next few cacophonous
decades!
Jun 22, 2015
Jun 22, 2015 at 1:47 AM UTC
If I was a king of Asia I would give you all the gold there is
But I'm not even prince of Persia, all I have is love and dreams
Let me show you land of legends, land of honeymoon and rising sun
I am not as rich as Ali Baba, but I promise we'll be having fun
I'll take you to Bali the gem of Java Sea
Then we'll go on to safari a little south of Abu Dhabi
I'll take you to Maldives to swim in coral reefs
We'll enjoy the sweet papaya on the islands of Pattaya
I'll show you lake Baikal, Tibet and Taj Mahal
We'll see Macao, Yokohama, Hanoi, Jeddah, Jaipur, Jakarta
I'll take you to Dubai, Dushanbe and Mumbai
We'll spend some starry nights in yurts near the city of Yakutsk
I’ll take you to Tashkent where melons got their scent
We will taste all sorts of apples in the city of Almaty
I’ll take you to Beirut we'll go nuts on dried fruits
And the coffee with vanilla we can try it in Manilla
I'll take you to Kashgar to shop at old bazaar
Then we'll fly a magic carpet to the markets of Qatar
We'll see ruins of Karakorum the old capital of Moguls
Then we'll go to Kathmandu and then Karachi and Kabul
We'll discover caves with treasures, make three wishes all at once
All at once will turn to a fairy tale, like in one and thousand nights
Let me show you feast of colors, take you cross the dunes in caravans
Even if I don't look like Alladin, I sure know a thing about romance
I'll take you to Taipei to see its lovely bay
We will sip on Coca Cola on the silky sands of Goa
I'll take you to Shanghai where towers touch the sky
And the best of architecture we will see in precious Petra
We'll go to Ashgabat, Bishkek, Busan, Baghdad
We will see Great Wall of China and Cambodian Angkor Wat
We'll see the Everest, mount Fuji, Gobi Desert
And it's certainly my pleasure to take you all around Asia!
Apr 3, 2022
Apr 3, 2022 at 10:07 PM UTC
Sweet Oriental Angels
with your cloth-thread harps
play your song on dizi flute and
mandolin echo soft
in the foreground
to the cruel industrial drum
of a new world.
This palace orchestra scrawled on scriptures
now a specter of labors
and dawns coated in smog.
Mar 19, 2015
Mar 19, 2015 at 10:36 PM UTC
Advent at the Dollar Store
The ***** roachy desperation of
the unswept dollar store’s cellophane dreams
At Prices You’ll Love boxes of oilless
popcorn poppers deep-fat fryers massagers
to sweeten generational desperation
behind the counter cigarettes locked up
We Cash Work And Welfare Checks can’t afford
Lives collapsed so we console ourselves with
electric hair-curlers and boxes of chips
singing NFL coffee machines
shiny new bicycles to be stolen
before the end of January or
left out to rust in the February rain
dusty plastic holly shiny CD
players for the administration of
anaesthesia Jumbo Bargain Gift Wrap
for Your Happy Holiday Shopping Pleasure
No Shirt No Shoes No Service No, No, No
Hyphenated Industries of Chicago,
Tokyo, Seoul, and Taipei wishes us
a Merry Christmas
Dec 10, 2016
Dec 10, 2016 at 7:34 PM UTC
i will remember you
(i)
in your onitsuka shoes you were wearing when we reunited at taipei main station after three weeks of silence
(ii)
in your old hoodie walking back toward me resiliently in the rain to give me an eskimo kiss after i repeatedly told you to leave
(iii)
in your skin that you slept in till dawn while beside you i wept from sheer fear of losing you
(iv)
in your spontaneity leaning into me leaning into you while we sang our thoughts to the waves crashing below us
(v)
in your unbridled passion when you kissed me for the very first time in the dark
i will remember you
Nov 17, 2014
Nov 17, 2014 at 3:00 PM UTC
It's 7AM in Taipei, I haven't slept yet.
Jetlagged and jaded.
I travelled a long way to see her
strung up on a blood transfusion.
Whimpering like a poor rabbit,
the nurse reminding her
that fresh blood curdles in four hours.
I was motivated a few days ago,
but those feelings come and go.
She'll drain her osteomy bag,
I'll hold the jar but
I'm not really worth anything,
I'm not strong or smart, and look
at her wasting away to nothing.
I should be doing something.
I'm distracting myself by smoking,
dipping in and out through the hazy rings
drifting lazily above my head.
Dreaming of ***** I've never tried it,
but I bet that poppies smell sweeter
in January when it's grey.
I'm thinking of a blue eyed boy.
Maybe he thinks of me, here in Taipei,
where it's ten degrees warmer
and 7AM. It's midnight to him.
There's so much in the world to see
maybe he'd hold the insides in me.
And maybe pain cuts through my discipline,
but I do have plans, honestly.
Jan 16, 2016
Jan 16, 2016 at 6:05 PM UTC
It’s a funny sensation and I crave conversation
‘Cause lately, I’ve been suffering from disassociation.
So let me sum up my train of thought from yesterday:
Why did I think it would be a good idea to move to Taipei?
Nowadays I can’t recognize my own reflection
And hide behind a glass of whiskey’s protection.
After work last night, I went straight to the bar.
The place was clean but a little bit far.
The signal was bad so I cursed my phone carrier.
Then quietly cursed myself for this language barrier.
Can somebody flirt with me?
Better yet, hurt with me.
To sit down and eat a slice of dessert with me.
I just need someone to hold me.
These few weeks have been lonely.
“I just can’t trust you,” he recently told me.
With my eyes glued to the screen of my phone,
I promised myself I wouldn’t be alone.
I called up a friend to distract me from my questions.
He threw my way a couple of suggestions.
I can’t be left with my thoughts for too long.
My feelings are valid but my head’s ******* on wrong.
I stumbled outside, left my purse and laptop behind.
Luckily, the bartender caught up to me in time.
Thank you to everyone who listens to my rants.
I’m just proud that I got home before ******* my pants.
Apr 13, 2020
Apr 13, 2020 at 11:01 PM UTC
What do you do when you’re alone
Feel the necessity to indulge in something
A drink or a cigarette
Always blowing away the ****** in swirly smoke
Or downing your business deals in ****
Maybe if it’s your birthday
You’re still alone
Probably because you’re a businessman
You may occasionally take hashish trip
And imagine yourself on a minaret
There are plenty
You could choose the one of the three Pagodas
That resemble the Taipei 101
Or the CN Tower
If you’re looking for something modern
But after your escapade of solitude you need a routine for your return
Sep 9, 2017
Sep 9, 2017 at 12:39 PM UTC
People take advantage of me
I don't think it's fair
I try not to let them
but
If I don't do the work
who will?
certainly not them
because of them
I only sleep 4 hours a day
and when the weekend comes
I'm extremely tired
but I still try to enjoy
going to my friend's party
going to watch a movie with my family
but I can't
I'm always planning stuff
planning my summer vacations
sometimes to weird places like
Nepal
Sri Lanka
Taipei
planning my future
where I'll study
where I'll live
what will I drive
how I'll contribute to the world
with all of this
i still make time to enjoy
study,achieve,have fun
and it's very tiring
I can't live like this
with the pain in my body
my legs,my feet,my head,my back
but so much time has passed
that I've gotten used to it
maybe because of my life
I sometimes think
"how it'd be great to live up to 150 years?"
maybe because I don't have time to live my life now
and I'd live it when I'm older.
Right now i don't have time
to live life one step at a time.
Mar 26, 2014
Mar 26, 2014 at 9:58 AM UTC
I want to wear a Persian shirt,
Run through meadows in a Celtic skirt--
I want to Don a Russian hat,
And plant my *** on the throne of Rome.
I want to bomb my words upon
London, Lisbon; Taipei, Taiwan
I would diffuse my fissile mind
And launch theoretical material like guided missiles
Give me this world of sand as a ball,
And children on the playground to toss against the wall--
It is a gift of thought to view the bulb
Of this time as a light in the firehouse
That ultimately dies
Only to be remembered by Liver's More.
Nov 22, 2019
Nov 22, 2019 at 5:55 PM UTC
Trump went to China
Looking for Taiwan
The Chinese said you'd better
decide which side you're on
Trump said you Chinks
all look the same to me
the Chinese rolled their eyes
and pointed towards the sea
So Trump got on his horse
and headed for the shore
then turned around and said,
"and one thing more,
I will build a Greater Wall
then the one I saw today!"
The Chinese just shook their heads
as he headed for Taipei
Feb 25, 2017
Feb 25, 2017 at 10:28 PM UTC
So she sits in the library
Long brown hair
Iced coffee
Embers by Sandor Marai
Last night
She read one of my poems
Dublin. Bangkok. Taipei.
Graphic design
The monk's eyes were closed
Decapitated statues
Kings
Chris Pine
Kings
Sacramento
David Markson
American Decline
Johnny 99
Jun 4, 2023
Jun 4, 2023 at 5:50 AM UTC
In Taiwan, I seem to fit in
I can speak the language, the green mountains feel like home
The city lights of Taipei are warm, the white sand in bai sha wan glistens under the sea foam
Cold Mango shaved ice refreshes me in the humid summer heat,
While pork rice and egg cake from street vendors are my comfort foods
It feels like a place where I belong, a place I can call home
But the kids in summer camps always ask me where I’m from
Why I have an accent, why I can’t read the store signs
While I may look like all the kids in the summer camp
I still do not belong
In America, I go through ordinary days
I can read street signs, and I don’t have an accent
I can actually write words and sentences on my assignments
I know each street I drive by on my way to school
I do the cupid shuffle in high school parties, my eyes shine with the fireworks on July 4th
This also feels like a place I belong, a place I can call home
But while my footsteps walk this land everyday, I do not belong
Because no one can pronounce my real name, and my food “looks strange”
No matter how American I feel,
I still do not belong
Stuck in two worlds, between two boxes
I’m the purple between the blue and red,where do I belong?
I can’t pick a side, I am not one or the other,
But being purple tells me that I belong…
That I do not have to choose, my heart belongs to these two homes:
The sweet potato-shaped island, with green mountains and city lights
And the land where my friends aren’t far away, where I spend my everydays
Apr 27, 2022
Apr 27, 2022 at 11:28 AM UTC
I've written all these poems
Not one step closer
In my solitude
2 green lights
Life is rain on pain
Thankful for my son
Taipei 101
Awake in the Night
Dec 24, 2023
Dec 24, 2023 at 10:52 PM UTC
When I traveled in Taiwan
I often took the train
I remember the typhoons
Relentless was the rain
Passed and prayed a Dragon Temple
Daily on my way to school
The students most respectful
My sons a-swimming in the pool
Taiwan an island in the ocean
Some say the South China Sea
The Buddha and Confucius protect the people
Asian islands inside me
Jun 19, 2023
Jun 19, 2023 at 7:26 AM UTC
Europe and Asia in my mind
Though my time is slight
To ancient things I am inclined
But not to Sein und Zeit
I write because I ...
Tomorrow I see my son
Batman the Protector
Protect Taipei 101
y un pequito fun
Aug 26, 2022
Aug 26, 2022 at 2:20 PM UTC
My dark side is the terror kind
Shiva the Destroyer
I have a bipolar mind
And now no new employer
Basketball, cd player
Facebook, silent nights
Dragonrider, Dragonslayer
True Taipei twilights
And lanterns.
May 20, 2021
May 20, 2021 at 2:07 PM UTC
Who doesn't like likes?
Chase them in the night
Subs at Jersey Mikes
We're all searching for the light
Today he turns 13
Born downtown Taipei
One day Tokyo?
I pray one day he may
I'm not white he says
Just a hint of Asian eyes
What I wish for most
Unexpectable surprise
Gandalf the Wise!
Jul 25, 2021
Jul 25, 2021 at 3:42 PM UTC
Death may be a mercy
This life of pain on pain
I've been to New Jersey
Rode the Taipei train
Three little birds still singing
I keep on hearing 8s
The barbarians are inside
The collapsing 'Mercan gates
vegetarian plates
Apr 16, 2021
Apr 16, 2021 at 1:55 PM UTC
Leonard Cohen saw the Future
Maybe I did too
Little prayer for Taipei
Carolina blue
Vegetarian tacos tonight
Edamame for my son
Rieko held him newborn
At Taipei 101
Sometimes profane the sacred
Sometimes revere and cherish
I do pray to the statues
But do not attend the parish
My ordinary life
Boring, but gratitude
My joy in my three sons
In my solitude
3!
Jan 14, 2023
Jan 14, 2023 at 9:09 PM UTC
Stockholm, Dublin, Bangkok, Taipei
Tak, Thanks a Million
Krop Kun Kop, Xie Xie
Not for me foreign capitals
Just story stops along the Way
Jul 13, 2019
Jul 13, 2019 at 11:35 PM UTC