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What I like about you 1

after Kenneth Tam’s “Breakfast in Bed”

Bro, you’re lanky and tall. Your eyes really stand out.

Got a lot of hair growing from your chest, spilling.

I’m jealous of your beard, it’s nice and full. Jealous.

You look like you take care of yourself. When we dance,

I love the way our bells swing. Got a good physique,

you’re a good-looking guy. We coordinate well.

You’ve got good ideas, like swinging our hips right

and then left. You take leadership, appreciate that.

I chase you with blue paint and you spring away.

I want to make my mark on you, like all the other guys.

Love your skin tone, darker than mine. Let me glue

this cheerio to your chest. I’ll avoid the hair. Though dusky,

your skin’s bright under fluorescents. This blindfold fits

perfectly under your tinfoil hat. Find me, bro.

I’m rustling in the far corner. I’m circling, watching, and

smiling. I’m teasing your neck. Let’s hold hands and jingle.

from Monsters I Have BeenFind more by Kenji C. Liu at the library

Copyright © 2019 Kenji C. Liu
Used with the permission of The Permissions Company, LLC on behalf of Alice James Books.

Published in Kenji C. Liu Poems

This program is supported in part by a grant from the Idaho Humanities Council, a State-based program of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this (publication, website, exhibit, etc.) do not necessarily represent those of the Idaho Humanities Council or the National Endowment for the Humanities.