An excerpt from The Rumpus Poetry Book Club‘s March selection,
SYNTHETIC JUNGLE by Michael Chang
forthcoming from Curbstone Books/Northwestern University Press on March 15, 2023
HAPPY WARRIOR
she fell off her scooter staring at me, determined as a drillbit
don’t trust anyone who doesn’t drink soda, we want lots & lots of pop
write poems in my head how other azns do math
u don’t need my help dazzling co-eds
my mouth pretty for when u come to town
so hot u cook an egg on it
so hot sunglasses come out all warped
so hot u get the chili pepper on ratemyprofessor
my mother knew better than to pretend-leave me someplace
i would’ve said ok peace i’ll let u know either way
discerning as shibboleth, daylight savings can’t buy shit
i hate that most memoirs are abt other ppl
see how they huddle, pretending to be something they’re not … beefsteak tomatoes
unpitying boy im going to love u like sweet corn congee
teach u different ways to say calves like cantaloupes
make u mushroom soup from scratch
caress u furry creature
ditch our umbrellas in a rainstorm, get soaked like last week’s dishes
dog & bone is a lazy name for a restaurant
try: the rooster, reluctant poet, & little halfwit who invented the universe
the same grave, the height of ridiculousness
ur lime jello, im fruit suspended in u
we hear the excited cries, think: he looks good out there
***
Excerpted from SYNTHETIC JUNGLE by Michael Chang. Copyright © 2022 by Northwestern University. Reprinted by permission, courtesy of Curbstone Books/Northwestern University Press.
