Poet Continue

OK allow me to finish this up this poet project.
So heres some of her poems, really easy to read because its for young people, and should be easy to understand. And again the reason why i chose this poet because i thought what these poems say are important to Asian American, about our struggles in America and our identity as Asian Americans.

Speak up

You’re Korea, aren’t you?

Yes

Why don’t you speak Korean?

Just don’t, I guess.

Say something Korean.

I don’t speak it. I can’t.

C’mon. Say something.

Halmoni. Grand mother

Haraboji. Grandfather.

Imo. Aunt.

Say some other stuff.

Sounds funny.

Sounds strange.

Hey, let’s listen to you

For a change.

Listen to me?

Say some foreign words.

But I’m American, can’t you see?

Your family came from

Somewhere else.

Sometime.

But I was born here,

So was I.

Do I really need to explain what this is talking about? This is what all of us Asian Americans have to deal with. Just because we look Asian doesn’t mean that we all can speak our language. To me I see it as a good thing to be able to speak our language, but with people that sees it as entertainment or as a joke, it can discourage us to learn it.

Waiting at the railroad Café

All the white kids are eating.

“Let’s go, dad,” I say

“Lets get out of this place.”

But dad doesn’t move.

He’s going to prove

The Asian race

Is equal. We stay and take our silent beating.

He folds his arms

Across his chest

Glaring at the waitresses who

pass by like cattle

Ready for a western battle.

They will not look, they refuse to

Surrender even to my best

Wishing on bracelet charms.

“Consider this part of your education,”

Dad says. I wonder how long

We’ll be ignored, like hungry ghosts

Of Chinese men who laid this track,

Never making their journeys back

But leaving milestones and signposts

To follow. “Why do they treat us so wrong?”

I wonder. “ Don’t they know we’re on vacation?”

A drunk shouts at us and

Gets louder and redder

In the face

When we pay

Him no mind. I say

“ lets get out of this place.

We’re not equal. We’re better,”

As I pull dad by the hand.

This is a tale of our struggles fitting in with white America. Constantly being looks down like we are just insects, but we refuse to back down. We stand our ground and prove to them that we are equals. If they still try to resist then that shows that they are the cowards and not us. We are not afraid to accept them, but they are afraid to accept us, making us better then them.