Jenny Wong | A 1990’S PHENOMENON

A 1990’S PHENOMENON

Four base pairs,
seeds encoded
for our superficial surfaces
but where
is the connection
from phenome to phoneme,
that gene
of recessive thinking
known to cause assumptions
about what language
should have been burned
into my mouth from birth
even though I have never
set foot on the land
of the mother tongue.
My roots are seasoned
three generations
into this soil
and yet I am seen
as a tea leaf
fresh
off the boat.

 

Author’s Bio

Jenny Wong is a writer, traveler, and occasional business analyst. She resides in the foothills of Alberta,
Canada and is currently attempting a sci-fi poetry collection, Brazilian jiu jitsu, and electric skateboarding. Her work has appeared in 3 Elements Literary Review, Grain Magazine, Vallum, NoD Magazine, The Stillwater Review and elsewhere.