Two Fowls -- poetry by Hope Yang

We stand shoulder to shoulder

Hair charcoal black, eyes the rich earth

Flaming blood from one fire

To any foreigner, plumage of same birth

But the moment I open my mouth

Molten skin peels back, scalding

The lips they come about

Until golden feathers fall from wings

雞同鴨講

A wall of glass between us

Filtering, distorting every word

Our minds compacting crystal quartz

And you and I both know that

I am not of this flock

Note: 雞同鴨講 is a Chinese idiom; it translates to “the chicken and duck converse,” meaning that neither is able to understand the other

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Hope Yang is a sophomore studying in Taiwan. She spends most of her free time indulging her passion in literature and art. She has only recently begun looking to publish her works.