At the pool
the big one
in the shower, and this little girl wouldn’t stop crying
i shampooed
i scrubbed
she kept crying
her voice wailed and echoed in the hall of showers
stalls of naked, busy women
i conditioned, i scrubbed
she kept crying
sobbing loudly.
i heard her mother’s voice,
Mei-mei, ne wei sah-mah tsai koo?
little one, why are you crying?
we are almost finished,
we will go home soon.
I peeped out of my stall
there she was, indeed
a shao mei-mei
standing
crying
slightly bending
the water bouncing off her little round toes,
crying
black wet hair stuck to the sides of her face
little yellow fists, held tight
naked
crying
mei-mei ne dhun wouh,
dan shei jo hua ja le...
Oh, little girl…
shao mei-mei
nothing changes
as a woman you will also cry
you will also want to come home
you will also have difficulty waiting
you will keep crying
nothing changes
you will cry for pain
for discomfort
for hunger
for love
you will keep crying
you will still cry
oh mei-mei
nothing changes.
