August 2, 2004 in Uncategorized
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“my friend signs off all of his emails:
‘siempre, luciando
paz y revolucion’
as if the two were possible,
peace and revolution.
as if bloodless wars didn’t still tear psyches apart.

change hurts.
living it is hard.
we’ve got to be ready
if we decide to stand up.”

kelly tsai
“mao”

6 Comments to

  1. Thank you for posting Ms. Tsai’s poem – I first heard OF her watching Def Poetry Jam on TV last night. I didn’t _know_ it was on, the kids had left the tube running and I stumbled into the living room to turn off lights, turn off the tube and *blam* there is this oddly passionate chick on TV and she’s bouncing around the stage like a panther.
    I don’t know what bit she was doing – it was long, it was passionate, and it numbed me in a good way. Wow, she’s good, I thought. And then .. gone.
    Google “Kelly Tsai” and your blog comes up. And I like ‘Mao’ as well.
    Thanks.

    2. brian on 6 August 2004

  2. I also heard Kelly Tsia’s “Mao” on HBO’s Def Poetry Jam and was much taken by her critique of bohemian fascinations with Mao and others. I would REALLY like to get the full text of this poem, but it doesn’t appear to be avaiable anywhere on the web and HBO isn’t repeating this episode this month. Any help?

    3. Ted on 9 August 2004

  3. Def Poetry is mos definitely (heh) one of my favorite shows on TV–it always makes me want to move back to New York and spend every night scoping out poetry jams here and there.
    It’s a shame that the spot that hip-hop and rap has come to rest to in this society is obscuring shows like this from view.
    Unfortunately, I can’t help out with any more text from Kelly Tsai, I transcribed that section using my Tivo, but now it’s on the fritz…

    4. Mark on 9 August 2004

  4. hey what up folks?
    so weird, just for laughs i was googling myself tonight just to see what would come up. i’ll post the text of the poem here tomorrow — they made a mistake…it’s actually titled “little red books”…thank you for all of your kind words, it really trips me out…i will have more poems and a full profile of my work up on e-poets.net by the end of october. and if you’re in new york, i’ll be appearing at the apollo theater in harlem on sept. 13th…check out http://www.wegotissues.org. take care and thanx for watching!
    miss kelly zen-yie tsai

    5. kelly tsai on 5 September 2004

  5. The illustrations look the same
    I remember
    Lao sr hao
    Teacher how are you?
    Zan chi lai
    Stand up
    Ju gong
    Bow down
    Dzwo sha
    Sit down
    These are the first things they taught us to say in Chinese school
    And we would repeat
    Lao sr hao
    Zan chi lai
    Ju gong
    Dzwo sha
    Acting each motion out like good obedient children
    Taking cues from the kids in the books
    Which opened from the opposite direction
    Lao Sr Hao
    In the books, the kids were always in school uniforms
    With rosy red cheeks and bright white skin
    Jet black hair, braided or bobbed
    Books carried enthusiastically under one arm.
    Now, these were children who did not know Chicago winters, what Doritos taste like,
    The joy of discovering masturbation,
    Or the ache of wondering
    If your eyes should be rounder
    And your nose pointier
    And would you be more beautiful if they were?
    Zan Chi Lai
    So of course, I would recognize them
    Even 15 years after failing to learn Chinese
    Screaming from a book opened Western-style:
    “I love to brush my teeth!”
    “I study hard every day!”
    “I like to read my little red book!”
    “Long live Mao!”
    “Long live Mao!”
    “Long live Mao!”
    I can tell I have made a mistake by coming into the revolutionarybookstore.
    Surrounded by the enormous heads of Mao and Lenin, I am confused.
    I start playing choose your own adventure with what I see before me.
    Delete yellow children here.
    Insert white, brown, black, red children here.
    Delete Mao.
    Leave all other text the same.
    Insert Saddam
    Insert Bush
    Insert Farrakhan
    Insert Chiang Kai Shek
    Insert J. Lo
    Insert whoever the fuck you want to.
    Ju gong
    Is it as funny when the indoctrinated look like you?
    Is it as cool, as kitschy, as righteous?
    Is it as easy to scream “Revolution now!” if you knew you

    6. kelly tsai on 6 September 2004

  6. Perhaps Miss Tsai would be better placed to focus on her gendered issues in the US, rather than imagined happening in lands that she has never seene?
    Miss Tsai has so much talent. Why she continually fails to release it in those parts of her that are so explosive confuses me. I hope she comes around.

    7. BigMarkG on 30 March 2005




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