Caned, by Bonnie Naradzay

I was Caned by the Headmaster 1, by David Diao (USA, b. China). 2016.

​Caned                                                                                   
 
Is it the shocking sight
of how the stout man’s hands
gripped it?  The cane made taut
across his chest, all I
can see, and so close up.
Imagination is
the most harrowing part.
I can’t move on, despite
hearing voiceovers from
a documentary
shown in a darkened room,
where, in a burst of film, 
small children are killed,
between droned interviews.
But here, the caning’s done
to educate, not kill.
For not speaking the Queen’s
English in Hong Kong, caned.
The artist came to grips
with what it meant.  Survived.

Bonnie Naradzay

Bonnie Naradzay: MA in English, Harvard University, 1969; Peace Corps, South India, 1970-72.  MFA in poetry, University of Southern Maine, 2008. Graduated from the St. John’s College Graduate Institute in Liberal Arts Studies (Annapolis) in May 2017. I lead poetry workshops at the Women’s Jail, at a day shelter for homeless people, and at a retirement centre. My poems have appeared in New Letters, Poet Lore, JAMA, Pinch (nominated for a Pushcart prize), Passager, Innisfree, The Guardian, Beltway Quarterly,Seminary Ridge Review, Anglican Theological Review, Split This Rock, and others.