Bailey Davis
chinese name: fu qian lan
(poem made entirely using letters in the title)
after Chen Chen
Teigan Lan
means:
a sham(e), a shelflife,
a sinful malfeasance unseen, a financial qualm.
nuance enhances me.
a failsafe,
a sale,
a lease u claim / unclaim.
a flinch in melanin,
a chinaman hems a chemise, a chin-
an equal? (am i)
a simile:
means alien
means animal
means annual
mannequin in chains—a seminal machine. feel feminine, menial. mechanise life.
a calm sea.
slain shaman, isle in flames.
Teigan Lan is a queer Chinese writer, student, and community organizer. They write personal essays for their Substack, and have published op-eds with the Toronto Star and Melanin Base Camp.
Next Up: Two Poems by Neha Elizabeth