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Haiku Free Verse Prosies
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What do I know about Chinese culture?
a tendency to match clashing patterns
a language without conjunctions
a language more sung than spoken
a reluctance to complain
or contradict
cheap fabrics and inlaid wood
the smooth face, the thoughts unknown
How long does it take to truly know
a Chinese person?
How many trips to the take-out counter?
How many meals with coworkers,
their lunches neatly packed for them
by unseen wives?
What do the Chinese know of American culture?
loud streets and shining metal
dropping money like bombshells from our pockets
the insides of sweatshops
the insides of offices
cookie-cutter clothes and strange, round faces
hair on their faces and hearts on their sleeves
forever talking, talking
without saying a thing
No respect for their elders
or for tradition
How can you befriend a wild beast in clothing?
— Frances Donovan
March 2001
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