孝, Filial Piety
the kitchen is warm in spring
peking opera blares from a UE boom
she warbles along, mincing garlic and an enormous fish
is cradled in wads of thin tracing paper
peaches shiver in the plastic fruit bowl
the size of a bucket, persimmons
crouch at the sticky altar table
underneath a photograph of a withered family
virtue is kneaded and compressed
when in latent heat, it takes form
in the splatters of oil from the frying pan
孝 (xiao) is comprised of:
老 (lao, old)
and 子 (zi, son)
you should respect
that this is what’s best for you,
when you can only think about yourself -
so i ask my mother, if it is possible to separate love from
deference? but she sighs with resolve,
and the knife glides across the silk screen

. 仁, Benevolence
仁 is comprised of: 人 (ren, mankind) and 二 (er, two)
in the wet heat of the restaurant
i continue to pick at the soft structures of crayfish and green
a rash blossoming across my back
thoughts congealing in humid soup
i watch her stretch out a demure hand, smooth her hair down
cruelty was inscribed into her features from a young age:
see, hear, say and do nothing improper, red ink will wane
into black
i am mutual, withdrawn, feel my limbs start to swell,
hear her for a second time, closer in the foreground:
there is a lot to say, but you can only say so much
and when your present is formed by aphorisms
their meanings are contorted into a loose black braid

like when she says benevolence
the sticky residue is silence

. 禮, Ritual
禮, (li, ritual, brotherhood, sacrifice, governance, respect)
 a room filled with dark wood
 incense loops around the room
 plum bloom
 black silk at the dressing table
 gold lettering on the hardboard
 a genealogy book without our names
 jagged peanut shells at the desk
 jasmine and pepper perfume
 length of rope for emergencies
 coil of insect repellent
 porcelain tea cups
 cypress wood for burning
 poor eyesight
 red thread and a sewing needle

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