Vanessa Tsao (17)
I, too
after Langston Hughes
I, too, sing English.
I speak with emotions
and fluctuations in every
syllable you didn’t
even try that hard to
comprehend before
teasing me
“Speak proper English!”
Until I burst into tears
and my uncle told you off,
his naughty son perpetually
toeing the line, even if he
had crossed it already.
We fought at the back of
the car because you wouldn’t
let me sing along to
Katy Perry as I didn’t know
all the lyrics
And I was surprised when
the adults didn’t call you
out on your lie:
You just didn’t want
my awful accent to ruin
your favorite song
You left your notebook
at my house one time
I peeked and my
eyes widened in delight:
you’d misspelled many
vocabulary words written in
abysmal handwriting
but I returned it to you
without saying anything
Besides,
you will see my name printed
in the paper and hear me
on television and you will
feel ashamed—and even jealous—
Because I, too, sing English—
and speak Singlish.
*Singlish = shorthand for “Singaporean English,” which not only refers to the “Singlish” accent but also the various Chinese and Malay colloquial expressions frequently mixed into the language.
I’m sorry for hijacking your eyes
I’m sorry / for hijacking / your eyes / but the white man’s gaze / and all its blue twinkling approval / made me feel / like a crystal / with sunlight streaming through it / once / sparrow ready to become / the dove it could not be / but the thrill of flight / was a constant hum / at the back of my throat / wishing / every limb / eager / to become a paperweight / but I digress / first / I needed to see / (I mean be seen) / I scrub myself shiny / innocence turned up like / baby pink / petals soaking in hopeful rays / wishing / waiting / they say comets / rippling across / the infinite / are beautiful / only / because they don’t / see / how it dies / star mangled / into dirty coins / badly-aimed at the tip jar / overripe I simmer in rotting sighs / wishing / waiting / begging / for transformation / the grass beneath me / wilts / before I / realize / you’ve / forgotten my name.
Vanessa Tsao is a senior at Taipei American School. She is an emerging poet who has been recognized by the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards and the NCTE Writing Award. She is a Social Media Editor at her school newspaper and is a contributing reporter for her city’s paper, the Taipei Times. She also enjoys figure skating.
I, too
after Langston Hughes
I, too, sing English.
I speak with emotions
and fluctuations in every
syllable you didn’t
even try that hard to
comprehend before
teasing me
“Speak proper English!”
Until I burst into tears
and my uncle told you off,
his naughty son perpetually
toeing the line, even if he
had crossed it already.
We fought at the back of
the car because you wouldn’t
let me sing along to
Katy Perry as I didn’t know
all the lyrics
And I was surprised when
the adults didn’t call you
out on your lie:
You just didn’t want
my awful accent to ruin
your favorite song
You left your notebook
at my house one time
I peeked and my
eyes widened in delight:
you’d misspelled many
vocabulary words written in
abysmal handwriting
but I returned it to you
without saying anything
Besides,
you will see my name printed
in the paper and hear me
on television and you will
feel ashamed—and even jealous—
Because I, too, sing English—
and speak Singlish.
*Singlish = shorthand for “Singaporean English,” which not only refers to the “Singlish” accent but also the various Chinese and Malay colloquial expressions frequently mixed into the language.
I’m sorry for hijacking your eyes
I’m sorry / for hijacking / your eyes / but the white man’s gaze / and all its blue twinkling approval / made me feel / like a crystal / with sunlight streaming through it / once / sparrow ready to become / the dove it could not be / but the thrill of flight / was a constant hum / at the back of my throat / wishing / every limb / eager / to become a paperweight / but I digress / first / I needed to see / (I mean be seen) / I scrub myself shiny / innocence turned up like / baby pink / petals soaking in hopeful rays / wishing / waiting / they say comets / rippling across / the infinite / are beautiful / only / because they don’t / see / how it dies / star mangled / into dirty coins / badly-aimed at the tip jar / overripe I simmer in rotting sighs / wishing / waiting / begging / for transformation / the grass beneath me / wilts / before I / realize / you’ve / forgotten my name.
Vanessa Tsao is a senior at Taipei American School. She is an emerging poet who has been recognized by the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards and the NCTE Writing Award. She is a Social Media Editor at her school newspaper and is a contributing reporter for her city’s paper, the Taipei Times. She also enjoys figure skating.