My grandfather walked in the snowWith his green jacket& plastic bagOn the balcony we builta short snowmanwith a cold carrotMy grandfather had a very thickhead of hairLong eyebrows…bright eyesHe told us storiesHe made us toastHe fought in the warHe knew the word “MONSTER”And also “HELLO, EAT”What kind of man was heA short manWith a long walkGood at walkingHe could walk and waitfor a long timeWhat kind of man was heHe had brown handsA dark moleA deaf earHe fought in the warHe wrote storiesSmoked cigarettesPlayed solitaireHe had a green jacketWhat kind of man was heHe had a secret familyHe had a sharp and surreptitiousbrainWhat kind of man was heDead nowA gone manWhat kind of man was heHe walked in the street belowTo fill his plastic bag with snow
[My grandfather walked in the snow]
after Cathy Linh Che
Feature Date
- January 8, 2023
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Copyright © 2022 by Cleo Qian.
All rights reserved.
Reproduced by Poetry Daily with permission.
Casper Yen
Cleo Qian is a writer from California. Her work has been published in outlets including Pleiades, Shenandoah, Witness, The Margins, and Zocalo Public Square. She placed second in the Zoetrope 2022 Short Fiction Competition, has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize, and has been supported by the Sundress Academy for the Arts. Her first book, LET’S GO LET’S GO LET’S GO, is forthcoming from Tin House in 2023.
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New York, New York
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Four Way Review is an online, triannual electronic journal from non-profit, independent press Four Way Books. In addition to our three yearly issues, we post new poems, stories, or interviews each month. We publish poetry and fiction from both established and emerging authors through our open submissions process. In 2012, we celebrated the Review‘s inaugural issue and, in 2018, the 25th anniversary of Four Way Books.
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