64 Libretti

22 Village of Rocks

賁 Bì |¦¦|¦|

I’d like the stone to be smooth please.
Granite please.
River rock please.
Rough-hewn please.
Hand-carved, please.
Jingh jihi: Guang Dong, Poon Yu, Ah Woo Chuen, Wong Mouh Bouh, Gaa Jau, Saam Faan Sih yahn.
Saang yú yaht gauh ing sahp ing neen, chut yuet, yah ing yaht Joong yú?
Gwok moon, Wong see, Wei Lan jih mouh.
Frances Wong: F. R. A. N. C. E. S.
E. S. Please.
I’m a girl.
Born in the seventh year of the Republic.
July 25, 1955 to…?

Father, William Wong.
Mother, Helen L. Wong
of Canton, China, Poon Yu District,
Crow Lake Village Yellow Reed Block
San Francisco,  California.

The Chinese is most important
even though I don’t read it.
The Chinese is most important
Because that’s what I am.

Nestle my stone next to Martin’s
preferably surrounded by my mothers & fathers, sisters & brothers, in-laws,
aunts & uncles, cousins, and dear friends.
And above all:
Ah-Mah, Ah-Yeh,
Ah-Pau, Ah-Gung,
Grandmother, Grandfather.
Grandmother, Grandfather.

We’ll make a village  of our own
of rocks etched by history our own.

If you could,
water us every now and then, our village.
A sprinkle from the bucket will do
that we may read ourselves
in the wet-etched words.
Try not to forget please.
Please, please and thank you.
Thank you.

Libretto by Eugenie Chan