We played kung fu across the street from our house.
The other kids did karate chops, and kicked
invisible opponents. They made sounds of contact.
My brother would say ‘ah-so’ while pressing
down the corners of his eyes for laughs
I imagined myself as a silent monk.
I folded up my legs and did my best full-lotus,
feeling the roughness of the bricks behind me
on my bare skin, red with outdoor play.
Even then, I wasn’t quite part of the group.
I had gone to ancient China.
