Three Poems
by Amy Lee
Mengpo Soup (‘Grandma Meng’s Soup)
Your night is my day
I’ll see you on the other side
I’ll sing so you won’t fade way
How I cried I won’t confide
Don’t drink Mengpo Soup at the Naihe River
It’ll make you forget your past life
As you pass the Bridge of Helplessness
You still need to come back
You can’t die as a ghost in a foreign place
This life, bitter space
Your night is my day
I’ll fight the bitter coup
I’ll pray so you’ll return my way
How I tried writing to you
You should drink Mengpo Soup at the Naihe River
It’s better you forget your bitter life
As you pass the Bridge of Helplessness
Don’t come back
Better your soul rest in a faraway place
Another life, better space
_______________________________________________
Shooting Falling Birds
Her accent makes no sense
Her body irritably tense
The harder she tried the less they understand
I watched her shrink in this foreign land
She doesn’t know what she’s doing
For a nine year old, it’s sad viewing
Oh look at that falling bird
That’s like us!
Trying but falling
Trying but failing
Trying but fading
Trying but no longer flapping
To shoot a falling bird
How cruel and absurd
_________________
Night Sweats, sleep paralysis
Sweet dreams. What is that?
Kicking blankets. What if I don’t get to say goodbye?
Calling out. How could I leave you behind?
You still don’t know how to use ICQ.
Single pillow. Tossing, turning.
When did that start?
Wandering in my dreams like a stateless being
A zombie stuck the twilight of despair
A ghost lingering, returning on Day 7
Waking up to night sweats. Sleep paralysis
When my city was sinking like Atlantis
When my city was in Exodus without Moses
When my city would be handed over
When my city would no longer be a state
Amy Lee holds a BA/LLB (UQ) and LLM from the University of Melbourne. She was published on the topic of #MeToo in Thrive Global and HR.Com. She dreams of her native sunburnt country when it is raining in Seattle. She volunteers at the Seattle Rep Theatre Shop and as a career coach for Hopelink.
