[1] chopsticks an expression of the heart and determination
arrives in pairs[2]
[筷] semantic 忄 heart
phonetic 夬 determination
radical 𥫗 bamboo
the heart hurries to light incense
prays for another’s week of rain / year of harvest /gentle flood
every morsel motivated by determination and pleasure in one’s daily work
we collected rain in a pot
served each day fresh on a bed of steamed plain noodles / sesame oil
spring onions diced
the chopsticks were our ancestors’ way of turning over morsel
after morsel of soil we called home
the invention of the speed of bamboo scrambles in the hands of the young
determined to serve the elders who fed them first
[2] learning to use chopsticks is a lot like riding the bicycle
both muscle memory
meaning the origins of the human need
for feeding / sustenance
/ salt and movement (in select cases)
are one and the same
Note: With thanks to Doyali Islam for inspiring me with her unique innovations with the rupturing of the poetic form in Heft (McLelland & Stewart 2020).
To celebrate the publication of issue 44.1 Growing Room, we’re delighted to share a poem by the 2020 Growing Room Literary & Arts Festival Youth Engagement Coordinator, Isabella Wang. Isabella worked hard to coordinate our youth reading held at Massy Books, one of the only events that was able to occur before the cancellation of the festival due to COVID-19. Isabella’s enthusiasm for supporting and uplifting emerging young writers is inspiring, and she’s also a brilliant writer and poet in her own right. You can read more from our amazing contributors by ordering the issue online, and watch this space as we share more content from contributors to the Growing Room 44.1 issue all throughout the month of March.
