Resist Watercolor

深夜偶感

夜靜微聞風嘯聲，

形影傷情見景詠。

雲霧潺潺也暗天，

蟲聲唧唧月微明。

悲苦相連天相遣，

愁人獨坐倚窗邊。

台山余題

Random Thoughts Deep at Night

In the quiet of night, I heard, faintly, the whistling of wind.

The forms and shadows saddened me; upon seeing the landscape, I

composed a poem.

The floating clouds, the fog, darken the sky.

The moon shines faintly as the insects chirp.

Grief and bitterness entwined are heaven sent.

The sad person sits alone, leaning by a window.

Written by Yee of Toishan

Poem 24 from the walls of Angel Island detention barracks

Paper, crayons, watercolors, brushes, paper, towels, cups of water.

-Take your crayon in hand and “carve” the characters of the poem in Chinese and/or English on watercolor paper. Light colors will provide more contrast when you apply paint over the crayon design. Take deep breaths, check in with your body and stay present to the meanings you pick up on.

-Take your paintbrush and paint with the watercolors covering the whole paper. Don’t worry about staying in the lines because the crayon lines will keep popping out as they resist the watercolors. Let it dry.

-Look at the work. What does it mean to you? How do you think carving poetry into the walls of detention centers is a form of resistance? Have you ever resisted unfair expectations, to express uncomfortable circumstances? What was that like for you? Could you use poetry and art in the future to cope with difficulty?

Adapted from Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation’s “In The Classroom” Curricula

Poem translation from:

Him Mark Lai, Genny Lim, and Judy Yung’s book, Island: Poetry and History of Chinese Immigrants on Angel Island, 1910-1940, 2nd edition (Seattle: University of Washington Press, 2014).