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Nancy Lim Poem
The first of nine children
He was a head above the rest.
Rugged and strong, he was true to his own.
While the eight went to school,
He had to stay.
Dawn till dusk,
His endless work remained.
At sunup, he had to open shop.
He worked with dirty hands
Stirring paints, thinners, and cement.
The smell of chemicals and rust
Filled that dusty old hardware stop.
Despite his sacrifice, his parents went
To pay tribute to siblings they favored best.
Cradling betrayal’s knife in his chest,
He never spoke to them again.
Then one day, they came
Old and sadly forsaken.
He cradled them in their feebleness
And smoothed the ravages of their sickness.
Till finally they breathed their last,
He drank the bitterness from life’s broken glass
Copyright © Nancy Lim | Year Posted 2005
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Nancy Lim Poem
You took your place on a solid armchair
Amused with the attention you commanded
You told beautiful stories, great tales
Of ancient Chinese marriages and their glory
You spoke of what brides must endure
In the old culture of China
Where a new wife must be silently obscure
You were the matriarch Empress
I was a second class citizen
In this Forbidden City you created
I was not the Chinese wife you wanted
I had too much fire within my bosom
My passions burned too fiercely against
The kind of justice you dispensed
You wanted me to bow in kowtows
But my knees would not bend
I was not the Chinese wife you wanted
I was raw, untamed, untended
But the Empress' son saw through
The wildness of my spirit
He saw a Phoenix bride, a precious jewel
The bride he always wanted
Copyright © Nancy Lim | Year Posted 2005
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Nancy Lim Poem
The street is dark and still
It is empty of people and life
Quiet is the sound that echoes
Through the gentle breeze
Of this night
I am drained of all energy
Deep breaths strain to settle me
But my mind races, my heart chases
After the sweet drunken stupor of sleep
Where consciousness slips into dreams
And fantasy finally becomes real
And I escape my existence for a moment
As I soar on the wings of my illusions
But sleep is fit and swift
I run but can barely keep up
Then with a bolt, a dash, and a sprint
It steps up the distance between us
Till I can barely see its shadow
And daylight is finally upon us
Copyright © Nancy Lim | Year Posted 2005
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Nancy Lim Poem
I see your shadow patrolling the house
I see your eyes glaring at me
With anger and disgust
I see your lips move
Hurling insults and abuse
I see your anger stirring
Waiting to thrust
It strikes me hard, I am taken aback
Years of this, I should have been numb.
But how do you get used to it?
How do you stop?
A strike that goes straight to one’s heart.
Papa, did you ever love me through my years?
Did I embody all of your fears?
When on my wedding day, you gave me away
I looked at you for a moment.
Then, a tear fell at the corner of your eye,
To my new husband you said,
`I give you my child. Care for her,
Care for her better than I have….’
Copyright © Nancy Lim | Year Posted 2005
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