After my Pfizer shots, I make a reservation
to swim at six in the mornings at the Y
then head to Philly’s Barnes Foundation
step into the museum after a year’s absence
excited to mingle with adults and children
but speechless in front of Soutine and de Kooning
With liquefied brushstrokes de Kooning painted
Women, flat and fleshy like landscapes
and Soutine’s life size, bloody cow carcass
makes children hide behind their parents
The vaccine is the key to open the cage door
and many things outside are enticing
But most restaurants are still closed
And they are shooting Asians
Vida Chu lives in Princeton. Her poems have been published in US 1 Newspaper, Kelsey Review, Paterson Review, and others. Her two books of poems, The Fragrant Harbor and The Thirteenth Lake are published by Kelsey Books.
