Asian American Poet: Nellie Wong

Nellie Wong is an Asian American poet and feminist activist. She was born on September 12, 1934 in Oakland, California and now currently resides in San Francisco. Her parents were Chinese immigrants who came to the U.S. in 1912. Wong worked for almost 50 years before retiring as an analyst in affirmative action at UCSF in 1998. She also attended San Francisco State University in her mid-30's where she began to write her poetry. She was involved with several organizations and later found herself in an AA feminist literary and performance group called Unbound Feet who visited different college campuses. Wong writes about her work life, her family history, and the Asian American identity.
I chose Nellie Wong because she is native to the Bay Area and focuses on feminism and the Asian American identity in her writing. She struggled growing up as an AA during WWII and have experienced situations that have greatly impacted her life. Wong has been recognized by various associations and has also been featured in a few documentaries. Some notable collections of her poetry are entitled: Dreams in Harrison Railroad Park, The Death of Long Steam Lady, and Stolen Moments.
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Mama, Come Back
by: Nellie Wong

Mama, come back.
Why did you leave
now that I am learning you?
The landlady next door
how she apologizes
for my rough brown skin
to her tenant from Hong Kong
as if I were her daughter,
as if she were you.

How do I say I miss you
your scolding
your presence
your roast loin of pork
more succulent, more tender
than any hotel chef's?

The fur coat you wanted
making you look like a polar bear
and the mink-trimmed coat
I once surprised you
on Christmas morning.

Mama, how you said "importment"
for important,
your gold tooth flashing
an insecurity you dared not bare,
wanting recognition
simply as eating noodles
and riding in a motor car
to the supermarket
the movie theater
adorned in your gold and jade
as if all your jewelry
confirmed your identity
a Chinese woman in America.

How you said "you better"
always your last words
glazed through your dark eyes
following me fast as you could
one November evening in New York City
how I thought "Hello, Dolly!"
showed you an America
you never saw.

How your fear of being alone
kept me dutiful in body
resentful in mind.
How my fear of being single
kept me
from moving out.

How I begged your forgiveness
after that one big fight
how I wasn't wrong
but needed you to love me
as warmly as you hugged strangers.


- Angelie Angeles.