Gaze Tanka Poem by Chen-ou Liu

the 13th tanka in the sequence about diasporic experiences


'Mr. Lou
your foreign credentials not...'
pinned by his gaze
I am an immigrant
with black slanted eyes


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, ' http: //goo.gl/4a1nb) , 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, http: //goo.gl/m9R9V