August poems

Tea leaves

Breathing in, I sip my jasmine tea
Connecting me to the lands of ancient ancestors
Tea plantations in china, earth fragrant with fallen blossoms
Grand ancestor, did you know your earth would
One day land in my cup?

Plantation house

In Hawaii we can stay at a plantation house for $300 / night
I shudder to think that the Dutch plantation owner
Likely stole this land from indigenous Hawaiians and
Found Japanese farmers like my ancestors to farm it
Capitalism designed to enrich the privileged at the expense of many
My body will not further this exploitation
(And that very choice is a privilege)

Practical concerns

My partner yesterday spoke of fatherhood in practical terms
Parental leave and benefits to consider
I added “resolve ancestral trauma”
To the list of dos before a baby comes
My anger and anxiety, practical concerns

Without vertigo

Without vertigo, the sky in my window does not spin
And I am grateful. Buildings upright, rectangular windows
Hinting at people within. Can they too see the sky as north?