Wednesday, September 24, 2025

Jackie Chou

On the Balcony 


I drink in the nectar of the night

the sky a blanket

soaked in prune juice


The stars are puncture wounds

the waxing crescent a widening hole

where silvery streaks spill out


I drink in the syrupy rays

that permeate the mountains 

where windows open

like eyes to the city's soul


It is nights like this 

that I wonder about you 

looking back at me

among a thousand lights




Five Percent Alcohol


I drink down wine coolers without being cool

Waiting for its effervescence to rub off on me

Berry-flavored alcoholic drinks make life less cruel


Faraway I am from the aquamarine pool 

Where youth opened doors to what one could be

I drink down wine coolers without being cool 


This beating red heart is my only jewel

For I own neither a sapphire nor a ruby 

Berry-flavored alcoholic drinks make life less cruel 


For my idealism, they call me a fool

Who will heed me when I lose my beauty?

I drink down wine coolers without being cool 


I don't mind living on meager gruel

As long as what I do makes me happy 

Berry-flavored alcoholic drinks make life less cruel 


Bending, following, and defying the rules 

I immerse myself in the craft of poetry

I drink down wine coolers without being cool 

Berry-flavored alcoholic drinks make life less cruel 




Unsweetened 


I go looking for diet Snapple iced tea

only to be convinced 

by the owner of Happy Wok

to try some choice oolong

which leaves a sweet aftertaste 


I pay him for the lukewarm tea

sipping from its styrofoam cup

wondering what happened 

to my Snapple 

fruity teas and juices 

in plump glass bottles


l’d grab one from the fridge 

at the school cafeteria 

while laughter and conversations 

bubbled all around me


I make a detour now

every time I pass

the gray windows of Happy Wok 


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