Tofu 豆腐 Dòufu
Potato 土豆 Tǔdòu
Potato (Pəˈtādō)
Tomato (Təˈmādō)
Dòufu
Tǔdòu!
Pəˈtādō
Təˈmādō!
Dòufu
Tǔdòu!
Pəˈtādō
Təˈmādō!
䷙䷈
dou — dou — dō — dō!
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Mama was not amused that we indulged his conflation of “tofu” with “potato” to create a little lunch ditty.
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Sister disappeared into the kitchen closet while [Redacted] was washing his hands.
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The long plastic sinew metamorphosed into a chain, a sill, and a header.
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The dinner jousted over the undulating dearth and glut of technology.
They took the iPad during our zoom call,
And hid under a pair of blankets,
To squirm, laugh, giggle, squawk, fidget, and squeal.
They insisted I join the call on my iPhone,
To transmit this fuzzy, pulsing grey blob to the family.
“At your age, grandpa got our first video camera, much less eight.”䷻
She wants her own phone, like her friends.
“You don’t need a phone, just use my my number.”
“When I was a boy, we only had one phone in the whole house.”
“Mommy shared a phone at the apartment headquarters.”
“How come you old people always talk about the past?”䷼
bitter festival
pigs and fishes
an ocean of bits
wooden boat -
The desert dreamt water in every corner.
The backyard became the ocean.
The rocks were the water.
The patio was a boat.
The boat had a Sea Shop.
The Sea Shop sold snorkels, seaweed, sugar, salt, oil, and fish.
We fished,
We swam,
We snorkeled,
I sharked,
but couldn’t catch anyone.䷮
press the water beneath the lake
a spectral aquarium floats on the sand
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The third person was in the air, so the boy became his own character.
He ride a bike on the trail.
On a slight incline, I tap him on the back.
“加油!” (press on!)
He pedals for thirty yards before slowing down.
My mom chats while we watch them.
I try a pull-up at the play structure.
One here; one there; shift my grip for one more.
A jolt shoots through my right bicep.
A net connects two platforms, she grabs a railing and crosses the divide.
He stands on one side.
“勇敢, 我在看着你” (be brave, I’m watching you)
“不是! Silver Star 不要走过 wires!” (nope! Silver Star doesn’t walk on wires!)䷗
thunder in the ground
the first king went to seclusion
in seven days Silver Star rose from the west
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He developed a new syntax by discovering the alphabet.
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After it was over, I watched my video to experience the moment.
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A leisurely lunch masticates greens to a pulverized goop in the cheeks.
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Monday’s vacuumed floor was untraversable by Tuesday.