Ten Poem by Natasa To

Screen door open a Country music song
Mama’s wide eyes watch,
clean the mess of my room
Ten year old and I knew all
the poems of Nguyen Du, Ly Bach.
Daddy called me “my little lovely girl”
in accent thicker Chinese words
So gentle like Chinese songs
and thicker than the Spanish voice

Lot of doctors loved my song of poems
In the vacant room at the top
of his big house.
We sat as party
on chairs.
At the Orchid flower
and endured the music.

I listened and enjoyed.
Cleaned home make many thing dreams.
Broken bottle sliced my chair;
I did not know
In the kitchen, Mama used sugar
for the coffee, and I
delighted in Daddy’s love offering
Honey tees hots in a cooler cup
From Uncle Wong’s book store,
I sing the poem with joy.