by Felicia Tsao
an imperial reminder of revolutions to come and the ones that landed at their feet
my mother once told me a story / way back when national flags flew proudly majestic dragons twirled in the sky slick with dew as fine rain settled / she said there was a time when generals roamed cobblestone streets bearing names of dead philosophers / remnants of their thin mustaches drifting through the alleys / she said the mist was permanent – a coat of beaded water glinting reflections on mountain stone forever imprinted like scales / an imperial reminder of revolutions to come and the ones that landed at their feet / she said there was a time when anguish etched faces with lines like rivers trailing loose necks and shoulder blades / while emperors sat in towers swishing tea in fine china / while the masses only had porous cups unglazed and unfired and no water to hold / she said there were dragons that beckoned with their long claws in the sky like martyrs on stakes / so the people came in floods – crowds so large they overpowered the sea / she said there was a time when water buckled under the weight of millions and millions swaying and growing and glowing pale in the moonlight / a whole culture moved mountains and roared with the sea while the dynasty’s elite displaced homes replaced bodies / a piece of scalp a ribbon of hair buried in miles of brick / dragon tails still trail across the nation
© Felicia Tsao
Felicia (she/her) is a poet based in NYC and Hoboken who studied Poetry and Spanish at Hamilton College, where she won the Adam Gordon Poetry Prize. Her work explores themes of heritage, nature, generational divides, love, trauma, and displacement, often drawing from her childhood experiences in Hong Kong and Taiwan. Her poetry finds meaning in life’s overlooked moments, while bridging East-West perspectives by slipping between cultures and languages. You can catch her performing her poetry at events around NYC and hosting workshops, or spending time with her cat (Zola) and dog (JJ).
Find out more on Instagram @theofficialfeliciat.
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