burnt
red on white
after a National Day hike
on our multiethnic
multiracial isle
it is my piebald flesh
that marks me as other
though draped
in the same dual tones
of the flag
splayed between two Chinooks
watching over the path as we trekked
Shelly Bryant divides her year between Shanghai and Singapore, working as a teacher, writer, researcher, and translator. She is the author of six volumes of poetry and a pair of travel guides for the cities of Suzhou and Shanghai. She has translated work from the Chinese for Penguin Books, Epigram Publishing, the National Library Board in Singapore, Giramondo Books, and Rinchen Books. Shelly’s poetry has appeared in journals, magazines, and websites around the world, as well as in several art exhibitions, including dark ’til dawn, Things That Disappear, and Studio White • Exhibition 2011. You can visit her website at http://shellybryant.com.
