Singapore side-street
They spray the hanging duck
with hot water
in this restaurant
a converted British shop house
no. 9
was once an opium den
now a whorehouse
with a
peking duck restaurant
fowl between chopsticks
what's she saying? Shit,
I can't understand Cantonese.
the converted British shop house
is painted all red
after eating the duck, a little
beer in my system, cigarettes down the pipe
I saunter in
there's more Cantonese and a lot of looks
like I'm not supposed to be there
I hate this about the Chinese here
they don't tell you you're embarrassing yourself
they only look at you like you are
I can still taste the peking duck
a man peers over his newspaper
hang me up and spray me
with hot water. some older woman
in an apron should steam me, she's now
cutting garlic on a table with a beer ad on it.
if I were photoshop I'd get really posterized
maybe even go a bit cartoon or neon
the lights would dim
I'd be surrounded by beautiful, exotic young girl
who want to share a bed with me.
I walk out, silently. Anything but to get embarrassed.
• Ralph-Michael Chiaia is an experimental poet. More about him at formonksonly.blogspot.com
