Andre Bagoo / Tomorrow Please God: poems from the premiere issue of Douen Islands
Posted: November 5, 2013 Filed under: Andre Bagoo, English Comments Off on Andre Bagoo / Tomorrow Please God: poems from the premiere issue of Douen Islands
Ship of Theseus
.
I have to see your face
if am not going to stare.
.
How do we know for sure
a dead body is really there?
.
Call all you wed by my surname
so that when I die, we breathe
.
in your body, in your new lover
and then, later, his new lover
.
his and his. In this way
our marriage lasts forever.
Father of the Nation
.
My life should grow longer
With each moment you live
We, strange twins, each
Approaching middle-age
Through reversed ends
.
Assuming I will live tomorrow
I can time my midlife crisis
My life chained to yours
Our wrong-footed estimates
Leave one set of footprints
. . .
Dragon Boat
.
I will put my bucket down
Over my head
And turn it into straw, spin
Bark into gold.
Our ways always hold.
We cup love with tightness.
We know enough of currency
To know.
When you see me
You always say,
“Excuse me, you from China?”
You’ve nearly understood.
Our ways are old
Our bodies, our own.
We don’t take back
What we never gave.
. . .
These poems are taken from Douen Islands, a poetry e-book produced in collaboration by poet Andre Bagoo, graphic designer Kriston Chen, artists Brianna McCarthy and Rodell Warner, and sitarist Sharda Patasar.
Read more here: douenislands.tumblr.com
And get involved here: douenislands@gmail.com
. . . . .
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