I and My Hippopotamus
For my mom Sheila and my dad Gerald
When we are in China
I and my hippopotamus
like to wake up in the morning and go outside
to see what is for breakfast.
We carry an umbrella just in case
and walk between the people on their bicycles.
We prefer to walk down the street where the pet stores pour out of their doors and
onto our path.
The cats are sleeping
the mice are jumping.
My hippopotamus prefers the bubble-headed goldfish
but I like the turtles best.
We stop to watch the baby sharks asleep at the bottom of their tub.
When it becomes too hot
I and my hippopotamus go inside the air-conditioned shop to try on shoes.
I like to wear orange on my feet when I am in China.
My hippopotamus does not.
Our best afternoon activity is to visit Renmin Park.
We rent bicycles and ride around the potted plants and napping people.
We visit the tea house in the shade
and sip Chrysanthemum tea
and watch the tourists have their ears cleaned.
For supper we are famished and go for Hot Pot.
I am vegetarian
my hippopotamus is allergic to Shiitake mushrooms
we cannot read Chinese.
It is very spicy and we are numbed by the Sichuan peppercorns.
We watch the kites fly in the polluted dusk as we walk home
licking dripping green bean ice cream off of wooden sticks.
Before bed
I and my hippopotamus brush our teeth with bottled water.
My hippopotamus has a wisdom tooth coming in and must brush extra.
I have zero cavities.
When we turn out the lights
I and my hippopotamus
listen to the cicadas
and the sounds of Wang Fu Jin Street
until we fall asleep.
©2008 Hillary Swanson. All rights reserved.