My grandfather was
Chinese
I learned
of these
common threads
when I was
fifty-nine
That the tapestry
of my ancestry
was intertwined
with silk robed
silhouettes of
concubines
sipping green tea and
rice wine
That their
history
was
also mine
Chinese…
I've known
Japanese
Native Indian
Portuguese
German, Dutch
Norwegian, Swedes
and those with
French or English
pedigrees
but very
few Chinese
My grandmother was
from England
In 1912
in the city of
Vancouver
she married
a man
from China
Chinese…
They always
appear to be cheerful
when they chatter
amongst themselves
on the Skytrain
