Poem: Different Lenses

 

Different Lenses as typed on a Smith Corona, Daisy-Wheel typewriter.
 

 

Find this poem and others in  I'm Not a Kung Fu Badass.

 

 

 

__________

 

 

.

Thinking about this one again today...

 

A poem from my book, In Inks of All Colors. This one was inspired by my experiences at different corporations, where the sun shined so long as the numbers were up, and the ground crumbled the instant profits dipped.

Celebrating today! Both are now available in print.

 

Here are the links:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C47DWL66

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C6448L9M 

 

 

Poem: American Canvas

 

Another poem from In Inks of All Colors.

I spent a lot of time thinking about how extremists are getting all the airtime these days, even though we in the middle, the quiet ones, are more accurate representations of America.

Another influence on this poem is my continued belief that even the most divisive issues are never as black and white as politicians portray them. There's a lot of gray in most issues--many points of view, many primary and secondary stakeholders, and lots of complexities. Details. Details that politicians regularly gloss over, like modern artists painting with broad swaths of black and white.

Thanks for listening while I continue searching my way through all the division in our great country.

...

 

From my Instagram account, a poem from In Inks of All Colors, a look back at the old me, the unhappy me, the version of John who was far too worried about what others thought and too preoccupied to listen to his own instincts.

...

Found this when sorting and recycling OLD things--my very first flash fiction and fantasy story (sort of). It's not brilliant, but the last line makes me laugh.

...

 

From my Instagram account, a poem from I'm Not a Kung Fu Badass.

This was one of my first attempts to cope with my worries for our country and my sadness for how divided we sometimes appear. I furled and unfurled versions of this poem for over two years, all while capturing more thoughts, anxieties, and feelings. Several of the poems in In Inks of All Colors have this poem at their roots; they began with me questioning why the stitches in our flag have been especially stressed in recent years.

my latest...

In Inks of All Colors, the ebook, can now be purchased.
CLICK HERE to go to Amazon.

 

Book Description:

Fans of I’m Not a Kung Fu Badass, John Arthur Lee’s first poetry book, will celebrate the return of his unique storytelling style, creative metaphors, and honest self-reflection. In Inks of All Colors offers 35 new poems exploring American society, corporate culture, untimely illness, relationships, and more. Examples below.

A Good Friend

Sees you more clearly
than the mirror house inside you.

Defends your weak side
when you throw punches at yourself.

And celebrates your every success
louder than a preschool teacher.

Stroke

I was twenty-three
when my first stroke arrived.
One eye studied the ceiling,
the other pondered the floor.
A bizarre double vision,
nauseating funhouse prank.
Then my ear started ringing
and my legs let me fall.

I survived,
recovered,
and with resynchronized eyes,
I saw life as more finite
and swore I’d capture more.

But routine roared back,
like a DC-10 behind schedule,
so I hurried aboard,
my clear vision forgotten.

 

 _____

...

 

As a writer, I'm constantly thinking about the power and potential destructiveness of words--I can't help it. These are some thoughts that have been eddying together for a while (first draft).

...

This version began as an exploration with line breaks and reading direction (and thoughts about what makes us who we are and what we must do to grow further). Now it has a home in my latest poetry book, In Inks of All Colors.

I'm on Instagram too.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You can follow me here.

Who really wins when we're divided?

 

The Other Half

No,

half this country isn’t

gullible,

             naive,

                      immoral,

                                    or selfish.

That other half has views

they believe you are blind to.

 

Politicians, Personalities, and Parties

don’t help anyone see the other side.

They only preach their brand of extremism

and vilify those who think differently.

 

They make us believe everything is

wrong or right,

                      stupid or smart,

                                              unfair or just.

But who benefits when we lose empathy?

Who celebrates distrust and anger?

Who gains when we’re divided? 

 

Politicians, Personalities, and Parties. 

 

They want us to see a world

where one must win or lose.

And thanks to our compliance

we’ve given them just that.

 

But they’re the only winners.

The rest of us . . . are losing.

 

 

_____ 

 

One of several poems I wrote while trying to figure out how the America I grew up in became so divided, and how its citizens seemingly lost empathy for each other.

...

 

When I turn down the noise makers, it's easier to remember we are all Americans, all members of the greatest country on Earth, and, easy or hard, we are all in this together. Well, most of us are. A few are strictly in it for themselves.

This shows a final edit before publication.

 

 

 

INCORPORATED

Competition not comradery.
Money-first decision making.
Denials of personal responsibility.
These are the roots of an unhealthy tree
and the greatest limiters of meaningful growth.

Org charts lack compassion;
their brittle branches are not real.

 

 --john.arthur.lee

 

 

... 

* One of my generous test readers suggested I add the word "brittle." That little addition really pushed this poem to a new level. Thank you, Kristen!

... 

...

  A poem from I'm Not a Kung Fu Badass, my first poetry book.

...

 A poem from I'm Not a Kung Fu Badass, typed on an Olivetti Lettera 36 (electric).

...

 typed on Olivetti Lettera 36 (electric) with a wet ribbon.

Now available...

 

 

I'm Not a Kung Fu Badass, the ebook, can now be purchased.
CLICK HERE to go to Amazon.

 

Book Description: 

I’m Not a Kung Fu Badass is John’s first poetry chapbook, 30 poems exploring the issues and forces that shaped him—love, race, mental health, and art. Often told from the viewpoint of a Chinese-American longing for acceptance, I’m Not a Kung Fu Badass offers an engaging journey thanks to John’s storytelling style, creative metaphors, and unguarded sincerity. Example poems below. 

 

64 Colors

innocence.
pure human goodness.

without a defender,
a mentor,
or artistic expression,
the hopeful idealism
of a 64-color childhood
dims to gray
one broken crayon
at a time.
 

 

“dash” American

When I was born
my family lived
above a laundry.
Our last name, Lee,
was just like Mr. Lee,
a ridiculous character
in a Calgon commercial.

Back then,
people like me
were labeled “Chinese.”
No one bothered adding
“-American” at the end.

Maybe if they had,
more people
would have treated us
like we belonged.

 

...

 

My manual typing skills need some work, but I wanted to capture this one using an actual Underwood No. 5 (1929).

...