Dear John Letter Tanka Poem by Chen-ou Liu

The 7th tanka in the sequence, Politics/Poetics of Re-Homing


the Dear John letter
morphs into a plane
this cold night
my shadow and I
ride the tandem bike home


Note: Based on the principles of progression and association employed in Japanese court poetry (for more information, see 'To the Lighthouse: Principles of Progression and Association in Tanka Sequences, ') , Politics/Poetics of Re-Homing is first English language tanka sequence about diasporic experiences. In the sequence, I adopt an intersectional approach to exploring a wide range of issues related to immigration, English learning, racialized identity, racism, job seeking, colonization, acculturation,...etc. You can read the whole sequence,