4

undetected suffering

he was angry about
working too much
too little appreciation
too much student debt
the pains of drudgery

his bolivian wife
said he was not gay
but her mother disagreed
and pitied her for falling in love
and marrying a gay man

he beat her
while she scratched back
racial epithets were used
against her

she left
but he lured her to return
with the promise of a child
to come

the baby better not be dark
or should we just name him
taco or burrito

he wore male make up
by clinique to hide imperfections
in his pale skin

he liked to be called
white bitch by friends

they were divorced
and i read these details

their salaries
custody arrangements
addresses
on the internet

but i knew little of this
from working with him
every day for three years

by chu

chu was born in asia.
chu knew neither her real parents nor their motivations.
chu has had two suicide attempts.
she recovered completely from both.
she believes those temporary deaths strengthened her wordlore.
chu is and has been wrong about many things.
chu does not fear being alone, abandoned or bored.
chu's affection has been engendered by dachshunds,
radiohead and wordcraft. chu sustains herself with pellets,
writing, reading and occasionally speaking with tongue.
chu likes to consider herself tolerant. she may be too tolerant.
chu is currently married. she is probably too young for pregnancy.