(for Sham-e-Ali Al-Jamil)
by KELLY ZEN-YIE TSAI
go ahead,
be selfish.
don’t hold the door open.
don’t save the last bite.
don’t rush to be on time.
don’t love equally.
don’t wonder
if it’s hurting someone
else, if you’re hogging
all the airtime, if you’re listening
impartially, if you’re wrong
even after you tried to do right.
selfishly,
drink all the juice.
steal all the lovers.
spend all the money.
dirty all the floors.
it might be the
natural order
of things.
the earth coming
into balance.
you, the recovering
martyr, who’s due
a little rest.
Kelly Tsai’s website is Yellow Gurl