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AH MEI<br />
by Y.O.CHOW
1<br />
In a poor Village in China, a little Lady named Mei<br />
Folds her Sheets and makes Breakfast, like she does every Day<br />
Wearing a Straw Hat, gloves, and black polka dot Dress, Mei rides her Bike<br />
Waves ‘Good Morning!’ to her Neighbors, their Pets, and the like<br />
2
3<br />
We pass Mango and red Silk Cotton Trees under the the hot blue Sky<br />
We look Left, we look Right. We watch Chariots clack by.<br />
Feet wheel with four winds, Hands steer over stones<br />
Mei arrives somewhere not too far from home<br />
4
5<br />
Crowning a hard hat and robed to toe in grey,<br />
Mei waters brown bricks and stacks them with clay<br />
Tears roll down her cheeks, for she dreamed of nice places<br />
Yet here is her life, among men with long faces<br />
6
7<br />
Who line up for lunch: Vegetable Soup in a bowl,<br />
then a portion of white Rice and tofu. All finished whole<br />
After a long walk, Mei lies down to rest,<br />
goes back to brick building, her stack is the best<br />
8
9<br />
A good stack of bricks is neat and lasts long<br />
Mei’s friends are amazed, “You’re so fast and strong!”<br />
Head Lung agrees and offers her post<br />
And now Mei is Head. She won the most votes<br />
10
11<br />
Now that she’s Head, Mei finds time to read<br />
On a bench, in the park, before heading to sleep<br />
She dreams of the magical Lands in her Tales<br />
Of folks with grand hearts, of Ships with tall Sails<br />
12
13<br />
Of the boy who died in Vietnam because<br />
a straight army general his father was<br />
And though Mei’s father is a straight army nurse<br />
She learned other people lived with much worse<br />
14
15<br />
Mei shares this Story with the Young and the Old,<br />
Who begin to see breathing’s as precious as Gold,<br />
And watering Bricks is not as bad as they’d thought<br />
No matter how cold the Weather, no matter how hot.<br />
16
17<br />
For if no one builds Homes, then who will build Towns?<br />
Who will stack watered Bricks weighing Pounds?<br />
The Masons, these Gardeners all covered in Mud<br />
Raising blossoming Cities, once small unripe Buds<br />
18
19<br />
In a poor Village in China, a little Lady named Mei<br />
Folds her Sheets and makes Breakfast, like she does every Day<br />
Wearing a Straw Hat, gloves, and black polka dot Dress, Mei rides her Bike<br />
Waves ‘Good Morning!’ to her Neighbors, their Pets, and the like<br />
20
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