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By John Yau

As you may have inferred, Ka Pow is not a spicy chicken dish
Meanwhile, you are an accident waiting to repurpose yourself


Who are you to mix up languages? This is not a smorgasbord
You have to remember that you are a cylinder, a form of fodder


Meanwhile, you are an accident waiting to repurpose yourself
Why do you need an expensive phone? It won’t help you in the future


You have to remember that you are a cylinder, a form of fodder
Our company motto: other than you, no waste shall go to waste


Why do you need an expensive phone? It won’t help you in the future
Have you ever thought of joining the circus? You might find a home there


Our company motto: other than you, no waste shall go to waste
Choosing suitable punishments is an unavoidable necessity


Have you ever thought of joining the circus? You might find a home there.
If you are speaking about my place in the universe, that’s not right


Choosing suitable punishments is an unavoidable necessity
Hasn’t the sky repeatedly proven to be the most excellent manager


If you are speaking about my place in the universe, that’s not right
Memories are iridescent insects infiltrating your dreams


Hasn’t the sky repeatedly proven to be the most excellent manager
Little sphinxes, I have instructed you to the best of my ability


Memories are iridescent insects infiltrating your dreams
As you may have inferred, Ka Pow is not a spicy chicken dish


Little sphinxes, I have instructed you to the best of my ability
Who are you to mix up languages? This is not a smorgasbord


Source: Poetry (June 2017)

  • Arts & Sciences
  • Living

Poet Bio

John Yau
Born in Lynn, Massachusetts in 1950 to Chinese emigrants, Yau attended Bard College and earned an MFA from Brooklyn College in 1978. A noted art critic and curator, Yau has also published many works of art criticism and artists’ books. His first book of poetry, Crossing Canal Street, was published in 1976. Since then, he has won acclaim for his poetry’s attentiveness to visual culture and linguistic surface. He teaches at the Mason Gross School of the Arts and Rutgers University, and lives in New York City. See More By This Poet

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