Matt Hsu
美国
Charmed: when you clop down the street and
exchange handshakes with the girl dressed in
blue gingham. It’s warm—black iced tea warm,
not leeches in the swamp warm—and I’ve got
these shoelaces unraveled into a spread-eagle
spool. Pockets filled with cracker jack, peach
pits, sour apple gummies, eucalyptus, stray
pieces of copper, goose feathers, ticket stubs
stubs from the 7:30 showing of Superman,
paper clips, bottle caps. Ba waves goodbye
with both hands and I wave back with three.
They needed him, his bruised hands, his eye
for bridge machinery, his flower-print shirts
and crooked grin. Tomorrow I’m heading to
the dock. Pick up catfish and snail shells and
stack them in a brass bucket, eat jello with
whipped cream, flip quarters, find hermit
crabs. Push paper boats across the current,
loop yo-yos, swap baseball cards. Smoke
straw cigars. Catch cicadas. Drink moonlight.
exchange handshakes with the girl dressed in
blue gingham. It’s warm—black iced tea warm,
not leeches in the swamp warm—and I’ve got
these shoelaces unraveled into a spread-eagle
spool. Pockets filled with cracker jack, peach
pits, sour apple gummies, eucalyptus, stray
pieces of copper, goose feathers, ticket stubs
stubs from the 7:30 showing of Superman,
paper clips, bottle caps. Ba waves goodbye
with both hands and I wave back with three.
They needed him, his bruised hands, his eye
for bridge machinery, his flower-print shirts
and crooked grin. Tomorrow I’m heading to
the dock. Pick up catfish and snail shells and
stack them in a brass bucket, eat jello with
whipped cream, flip quarters, find hermit
crabs. Push paper boats across the current,
loop yo-yos, swap baseball cards. Smoke
straw cigars. Catch cicadas. Drink moonlight.
Biography
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Matt Hsu (he/him) is a student from San Francisco, California. His work has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize, and he’s published or forthcoming in Blue Marble Review, The B’K, and Paddler Press. In his spare time, he enjoys playing tennis and eating dark chocolate. Currently, he's querying his first novel: a twisty, thriller-mystery about a crafty assassin. You can find him on Twitter at @MattHsu19 or at his personal website matthsu156538437.wordpress.com.
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