US Afternoon and China Night --- A Poem to A white Boy

Walking down the street
Sunshine came to my eyes,
the white boy’s sitting by the trees.

Everybody says I’m Chinese
you say I’m something else,
you say I’m the summer night,
warm your bed and melting your dreams.

Actually you are wrong,
I’m the stranger to you, white boy,
I came all the way, all the way across the Pacific Ocean to see
Your
Face.
to see the eyes of blue, the heart of gold
to see a soul
covered with snow.
even so, even you don’t know, even I’m the first you will
ignore.

I still remember,
remember the bicycles and the dust,
the country has billion people, you know

I breathed, yes, I tried to breathe like a palm tree,
not the village I’m from,
there was no tree, no beautiful faces
everyone looked at me with dust and
distrust

I felt like a stranger, I saw people laughing
maybe they’re laughing at me
and this is real,

I couldn't breathe, I couldn't even speak Chinese,
I escaped from the small village like phoenix.
They say I’m a wounded bid, no, not really,
I grew up in that far east country

Today, when I’m sitting in this lousy city,
My memories go back to the village
and the city who supported my dreams,

I can’t tell you if you don’t understand
I can’t tell you if you never dreamed
I can’t tell you
if you don’t know what dream is what love is


Five thousand years of prosperity and flourishing
Five thousand years have passed, I saw Lao Tse and his buddies
I was one of them, I remember
I drank a lot, party, happy , 2000 years ago baby

Wake up from the old ancient dream,
came back to this developed country

Everybody talks about human rights, everybody
loves Lemon chicken,
everybody is like enemy,
I don't care, I don't see
empty words just like a hollow tree

Ten billion people asleep on the table of Lemon Chicken

“Let’s talk about human rights!”
“I want to talk about teriyaki and MacDonalds.”
“Let’s talk about human rights!”
“I want to talk about marrying a rich man and having a Ferrari.”

Escape to the U.S.
The far west country with dignity
for better or worse,
I escaped for a reason of opportunity

I was also thinking about Tom Cruise,
but that’s not why I’m happy.
I saw Beverly hills, and Pacific high way,
But that’s not why I’m here baby

Forget the Lemon Chicken and human rights
From now on, I’m going to learn how to pump the gas and pick up a guy
in English,
From now on, I’m going to dig gold
learn scuba-diving and bungee jumping
dye my hair blond and get the boobs job done

It’s the 21st century baby
I live in the city of edge
I moved to Los Angels,
I better know how to flirt and smile all the time

From now on,
I’m going to fall in love
fall in love with a white boy and make love all the time
talk dirty in English when I’m happy
fall in love with a boy speaks the language and have a Ferrari

I know he will be hairy, but he will buy me expensive jewelry
teach me surfing and skydiving,
We will hang out in Beverly Hills and fly in his private jet
Dive in to the pacific and drive around in Malibu all the time.

Shop on Redeo Drive, live in Limousine
Talk like a Star, get a bodyguard
I’m a transplant(My mom always told me being an international transplant is like wining a
lottery.)

I already decided
(for better or worse?)
I’m going to fall in love,
with the eyes of blue, the heart of gold
I’m going to love him, crazily
Just for a democratic reason.

Who cares? Lemon Chicken and human rights, who cares?
Ten billion people asleep in the darkness

I’m Chinese, actually not really,
I’m in the US , everybody speaks English to me on the street.
I feel not too bad, sometimes I even don't think you are all right,
But you know,
That white boy knows,
I have something hidden,
I have something to say but I didn’t.
That white boy, sitting by the tree, in a small town of this developed country,
My skin’s so shining, yes you can tell, this is 21st century,
My skin’s so shining like pacific ocean.

I hate Beijing’s buildings and Taxi drivers,
Including Forbidden city and Starbucks
When they talk about it, I want to talk about something else.
I don't want to talk about Kung Pao Chicken or Teriyaki ,
They think I’m crazy, they think I’m boring
Let's talk about something else

I was talking to a white boy on a yellow winding road.

I like white boys, I like Kung Pao chicken too,
I want to talk about human rights
when I’m chewing fortune Cookies.

The white boy laughed, then confused,
he left me with a mysterious smile.

Ok, let’s talk about China,
Let’s talk about Forbidden City and lemon Chicken

It's the first day of the summer,
I remember the white boy I met
last night...

He was dancing, his hands were dancing
, actually he's shaking, no,
he’s talking, every time when he’s talking, it’s like he’s dancing.

His skin was so white and his face carved with human rights.
He had a brown hat, when he's dancing, he threw it around.

I saw him, in a beautiful afternoon,
everybody walked away,
Just me and him
a secret dancing around
down the rabbit hole next to the coffee shop

I asked him where you're from and how old are you,
He told me in a strange way,
Actually we’re all friends even though I’m the little China girl.
My hair floating in front of your hat,
I guess at that moment I was saying love and hello.

He drove his Porsche away
Left me in the city of angels.
I see all the old dirty paper floating over my shoulder
It starts raining again today
the old dirty paper flowing in the wet sticky air.

I bought an umbrella, it becomes my roof, my only protection so I can keep distance with someone famous
My only roof in this depressing city
I was standing, in the rain,
with the roof under my arm,
and I saw him, disappearing in his limousine
from far far away

I thought we were close,
actually not really,
there was a distance between me and him,
like the stars you see at night
infinite and drives me nuts

Today is Valentine’s Day
every Valentine’s day is raining or windy
Or old dirty newspaper flying over in the wet sticky air
actually everyday is Valentine’s day for me, everyday,
If you are in love everyday is Valentine’s day

Finally it stopped raining in this lousy day
I stood outside of 7-11 with my hotdog on
my right hand,
I hold it like a flag
I was holding it, like the blue red American flag,
With stars, strips and all that.
It’s brilliant, shining
almost burned my eyes baby

Then I said this world is beautiful,
Then I start eating my hotdog.

Maybe I’m destined to be alone, maybe I’m destined to eat hotdog all the time, and
waving,
waving outside of 99 cents store, waving
with the American flag, “Please accept my loyalty and love, enemy!”
I punched it to the air
I was waving, standing, with the half hotdog done and chewing

I was waving,
waving a man I can never reach, waving a dream, a wish, a lottery, a snowflake
in this clear day.

I remember a year ago, I stood here the same,
same gesture, same waving, same desire and same despair, & same hotdog
With the same lost, today, I’m standing up here again
people from all over the world giving me a hug, but not you
You were not there,
I was yelling your name and punching the hotdog into the air

I’m already used to it, darling
standing here, at the 99 cents store, with my hotdog on.

Homeless and street performers,
People laughing or drinking
But no one noticed you, in the dark side of the road.
I told myself I should love life,
Actually I already started loving myself,
when I saw the strange boy in Hollywood
I told him I love you.

He's still dancing, also smiling, with his hat and hands,
he was looking at me, looking at me like an angel with sweet silence.
the sound of the silence.

A guy sitting next to me staring at me,
I can see his joys and pains under his
cheeks,
He walked way, and kept saying:
" Hi, girl, Where are you from and how old are you?
Your parents must miss you!"

I turned around, and I saw my dad's wrinkles in another side of the ocean,
Actually I was thinking about something else
I was thinking about how they punished me when I celebrated my birthday.
They even gave me the finger, but that’s not what I am talking about.
no one cares about my youth but me
Democracy, birth, rights.
free me baby, send me to the land of green
Set me free, feed me with Lemon Chicken and fortune cookies.

A Chinese guy said brave girl to me then disappeared in San Francisco.
I love my country, I love freedom too, even more.
I love the earth with peace and harmony.
Someone’s probably throwing dirty words to me at the same time
But I saw that white boy again,
I always see him,
He is in the corner of the coffee shop,
He is under the roof,
He's dancing, and smiling, with his hands, with his hat and faith.

He is in Hollywood,
He lives in Beverly Hills,
He goes to London and Japan,
His name is Tom Cruise.

He has jets and Bugatti
I have fortune cookie and Spaghetti

You may say this world is not fair, but
I’m happy that I’m here

I was in paradise,
I saw him, then I am bright.
I’m always bright when I see him.
I saw him on sunset blvd., walking,
When I see him, I see a heart of GOLD
I always see him a heart of Gold.
Heart of God.
He does not know who I am,
but he knows,
I’m the little china girl, I
am his hope and sunshine
Like the trees, blossom leaves in the spring, no complain.

Rainbow crossed the sky
Sunshine comes to your eye,
I love him, I love the sky.

It’s a beautiful summer night
It’s always summer here in the city of Angeles.
even in this chilly day with wind blow on my ears
but I feel the warmth, I feel the love and heat,
Everything is amazing to me on this special day
And you probably never know the pain

The stars covered my face
I hold my breath and closed my eyes
I hold my breath again and thinking about his pretty face
Then I walked closer to him, like a goddess in love with Narcissus
He looked at me straight into the eye, and says:

"Hey girl, you don't know what you are talking about, do you?"


-- From Niki's Poetry collection " LA Life."