In the Time of the Martial Arts Craze

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.