“Transept” by C. Dale Young

An excerpt from the poem “Transept” by C. Dale Young, published at Scoundrel Time:

Transept

Unlike me, she made a choice, chose
Indian over Chinese, because she felt
she looked more Indian than Chinese.

It “takes strength” to choose. At age five,
while playing near her feet, my grandmother
knitted sweaters for me because she was

always convinced I was cold. You smile
too much. You are too pretty for a boy, too pretty.
You will bring yourself trouble. I smiled

and laughed the way only small children do
when teased. Pretty boy with an English heart,
cold cold heart that needs warming. […continue reading here]