酷我-北美枫

[ericcoliu]

Reading, Writing, and Life on the Page

The Double Life of Eric Liu


I


What’s you name?
My Anglicized name is Chen-ou Liu.
But you can call me Eric.
It's easy for you to remember.
Are you Chinese?
Yes.
Really Chinese?
Well, I was born in Taiwan,
So I guess that makes me a non-Chinese Chinese.
(A blank look!)
Oh! So are you Chinese or Canadian?
Well, you see my skin color.
But I would rather say
I'm neither Chinese nor Canadian.
Because the homes I’ve had,
The ways I’ve become.
I am Chinese-Canadian.



II


Canadian yet hyphenated
Effortless to slip
From “How are you?”
To “ Ma Ma Fu Fu.”
Secured to sit in a cubicled office
Arguing with my Anglo colleagues
Haggling over prices with vendors
In bustling Chinatown after work
Watching Hockey Night in Canada
And Jackie Chan kick some ass

Sometimes, I feel
I am a Chinese
Born in Canada
Oftentimes, I claim
I am a Canadian
Of Chinese descent
In a free land, I live
The double life of Eric Liu
By masking the discomfort
Of being prejudged bi-laterally


Notes:

1 According to classical Chinese poetics, a poem sequence is a group of poems by one poet or perhaps even by two or more poets intended to be read together in a specific order. The integrity of a poem sequence is dependent on this prescribed order of presentation. A poem sequence by a single author is sustained throughout by a single voice and point of view, and it shows consistency in style and purpose from one poem to the next. The defining characteristic of a poem sequence is that each poem must have its own value and integrity yet contribute to the artistic wholeness of the sequence while keeping the logical progression of events.

2 “Ma Ma Fu Fu” is a Chinese idiom, which literally means I'm doing OK.

3 Hockey Night in Canada is the premiere Canadian prime time NHL ice hockey telecast program produced by CBC Sports. It is one of the highest-rated programs on Canadian television and is also the world's oldest sports-related television program still on the air.

4 Jackie Chan is a Chinese actor and action film director, one of the best-known names in kung fu and action films worldwide. He is well known for his acrobatic fighting style and use of improvised weapons and innovative stunts. Over his near four-decade career, Chan has received stars on the Hong Kong Avenue of Stars and the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
_________________
Time is nothing but a disquiet of the soul

[[ericcoliu]]

Reading, Writing, and Life on the Page

The Double Life of Eric Liu


I


What’s you name?
My Anglicized name is Chen-ou Liu.
But you can call me Eric.
It's easy for you to remember.
Are you Chinese?
Yes.
Really Chinese?
Well, I was born in Taiwan,
So I guess that makes me a non-Chinese Chinese.
(A blank look!)
Oh! So are you Chinese or Canadian?
Well, you see my skin color.
But I would rather say
I'm neither Chinese nor Canadian.
Because the homes I’ve had,
The ways I’ve become.
I am Chinese-Canadian.



II


Canadian yet hyphenated
Effortless to slip
From “How are you?”
To “ Ma Ma Fu Fu.”
Secured to sit in a cubicled office
Arguing with my Anglo colleagues
Haggling over prices with vendors
In bustling Chinatown after work
Watching Hockey Night in Canada
And Jackie Chan kick some ass

Sometimes, I feel
I am a Chinese
Born in Canada
Oftentimes, I claim
I am a Canadian
Of Chinese descent
In a free land, I live
The double life of Eric Liu
By masking the discomfort
Of being prejudged bi-laterally


Notes:

1 According to classical Chinese poetics, a poem sequence is a group of poems by one poet or perhaps even by two or more poets intended to be read together in a specific order. The integrity of a poem sequence is dependent on this prescribed order of presentation. A poem sequence by a single author is sustained throughout by a single voice and point of view, and it shows consistency in style and purpose from one poem to the next. The defining characteristic of a poem sequence is that each poem must have its own value and integrity yet contribute to the artistic wholeness of the sequence while keeping the logical progression of events.

2 “Ma Ma Fu Fu” is a Chinese idiom, which literally means I'm doing OK.

3 Hockey Night in Canada is the premiere Canadian prime time NHL ice hockey telecast program produced by CBC Sports. It is one of the highest-rated programs on Canadian television and is also the world's oldest sports-related television program still on the air.

4 Jackie Chan is a Chinese actor and action film director, one of the best-known names in kung fu and action films worldwide. He is well known for his acrobatic fighting style and use of improvised weapons and innovative stunts. Over his near four-decade career, Chan has received stars on the Hong Kong Avenue of Stars and the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
_________________
Time is nothing but a disquiet of the soul

[ericcoliu]

What follows is a companion piece to A Double Life of Eric Liu:


Sometimes I dream in Chinese
I dream my father's dream
I wake and become someone else

Rise up
Gaze around walls
Be still for moments
Feel at home here
_________________
Time is nothing but a disquiet of the soul

[[ericcoliu]]

What follows is a companion piece to A Double Life of Eric Liu:


Sometimes I dream in Chinese
I dream my father's dream
I wake and become someone else

Rise up
Gaze around walls
Be still for moments
Feel at home here
_________________
Time is nothing but a disquiet of the soul

[dundas]

[[dundas]]

[ericcoliu]

[[ericcoliu]]

[christine]

[[christine]]

[ericcoliu]

I didn’t pretend to write a poem which can explore and exhaust the complex and diverse intragroup relationships within the Chinese Canadian community. The only thing I hope my poem could achieve is to stir up the discussion on identity politics.
_________________
Time is nothing but a disquiet of the soul

[[ericcoliu]]

I didn’t pretend to write a poem which can explore and exhaust the complex and diverse intragroup relationships within the Chinese Canadian community. The only thing I hope my poem could achieve is to stir up the discussion on identity politics.
_________________
Time is nothing but a disquiet of the soul

[robarts]

[[robarts]]

[clair]

[[clair]]

[ericcoliu]

[[ericcoliu]]

[christine]

[[christine]]

[ericcoliu]

[[ericcoliu]]

[ericcoliu]

What follows are replies from my fellow poets at Poetry Connection:

I like the self analysis in this very informative piece Eric and all the extra details.

-- Frank E Gibbard



I enjoyed this dialogue poem with self-reflection. It is so true for many Asians who were born and raised in Western lands.

-- JoelJosol
_________________
Time is nothing but a disquiet of the soul

[[ericcoliu]]

What follows are replies from my fellow poets at Poetry Connection:

I like the self analysis in this very informative piece Eric and all the extra details.

-- Frank E Gibbard



I enjoyed this dialogue poem with self-reflection. It is so true for many Asians who were born and raised in Western lands.

-- JoelJosol
_________________
Time is nothing but a disquiet of the soul

[dundas]

The Eric Liu in Poem II stands on the borders of two cultures: he is part of both but partner in neither. He is legal alien.

This poem illustrates the struggles many ethnic-Canadians face with being the other, and with a hyphenated identity.

The images of alienation and isolation are vivid. he cannot exist peacefully in any of his cultures bucause each culture views him as inferior and different.
_________________
My throat knew thirst before the structure
Of skin and vein around the well

[[dundas]]

The Eric Liu in Poem II stands on the borders of two cultures: he is part of both but partner in neither. He is legal alien.

This poem illustrates the struggles many ethnic-Canadians face with being the other, and with a hyphenated identity.

The images of alienation and isolation are vivid. he cannot exist peacefully in any of his cultures bucause each culture views him as inferior and different.
_________________
My throat knew thirst before the structure
Of skin and vein around the well

[ericcoliu]

[[ericcoliu]]

[Lake]

[[Lake]]