marked have i become

By Aylwin Lo  -  Ottawa, Ontario

my polished, urbanized dialect
betrays my origins’ origins
my manners, my dress
betray my ancestral treasons
though might i try on disguises,
someone always surmises

Background Information:

Aylwin Lo is a second-generation Chinese Canadian from Saskatchewan who has responded to classified ads in Chinese newspapers to investigate labour conditions for undocumented Chinese farmworkers. Although he holds a Math degree from the University of Waterloo, he is thankful to be working in Ottawa as a graphic designer.