by Jen Soong
Lucky 幸运
Born in the year of the rabbit
tù zi 兔子
lucky, they say
hard work, I huff
Been running all my life —
wolves, foxes, inky terrors
salivating on sight
chasing me into the woods
Slow like a snowshoe hare
(not speedy like Mr. Jackrabbit)
if I stop to pause, fucking pause
I might be swallowed whole
Run, rabbit, run!
păo păo! 跑跑
don’t glance back
keep sprinting
until all that’s left is
my bloody carcass
White silky foot
good luck charm
for someone else
Better luck next time
时来运转
Jen Soong is a writer based in Northern California. Her poems have appeared in Ample Remains, Voicemail Poems, and the lickety~split. She earned her MFA in creative writing from UC Davis, and her memoir-in-progress is a reckoning of myth, migration, and memory. Find her work at jensoong.com.