Self-Portrait

by Emily Jiang

I am not a fighter--I am: rabbit
wood: Asian when
convenient: sun & moon
melting into smoke
& rain: speaking two
tongues bound in
calligraphy: bubbles: girly
when inconvenient: water
at work for woman: caught
between charge!
& fire: bull-stubborn: as
industrious as a river flowing
through the corridors of dream.

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The daughter of Chinese-American immigrants, Emily Jiang was born in California and raised in Texas. A graduate of the Clarion Writers' Workshop in San Diego, Emily has a B.A. in English from Rice University and an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from Saint Mary's College of California, where she wrote "Self-Portrait" which was inspired by a postcard and a poem written by fellow student Sara Mumolo for a craft class taught by Graham Foust. Emily has three poems published in The Sand Hill Review, and her poetry and prose have received several honors, including the Top Prose Prize in The Binnacle Annual Ultra-Short Competition. In her short works, she delights in exploring, and often exploding, the boundaries of genre. Her secret dream is to be a ninja. She wrestles with words everyday. Sometimes she wins. Most times, it's a draw.