zodiac family portrait 

一

keep quiet or else

she’ll rat you out 

scurry and hide behind closet doors

under beds and pout

二 

stubborn as an ox

he retreats into little lies

brings home take-out and video games 

hums distracted lullabies 

三 

paper tiger pounce 

she flares up in fury brash 

erupts like a volcano 

threats mere powder ash 

四 

down the rabbit hole 

sucked into internet fare

would rather face a screen than family 

I know you’re busy, I’ll get out of your hare 

五 

bearded dragon, bearded girl 

she wears him on her arm, faux-serene

flies through the skies in straight glory 

scales glint rainbow sheen 

六 

he snakes his way out of the house

then out of the nation

works odd jobs, to eat and travel

what happened to all my relations? 

七 

voice horse, screaming matches

arguments invade 

hurtle through thin walls 

caustic cascade 

八 

feeling sheepish shy

woolly-minded ego boost 

overshoot overconfidence overdone 

steadily reduced 

九 

playful monkey king 

trips on his staff

loses his balance 

loses his laugh 

十 

she comes home, cock-a-doodle-doo

lets in early morning air

I had a nose-bleed last night

you weren’t there 

十一 

hot diggity dog! 

you think getting a pet would help? 

too much responsibility on Fido

we tried, oh welp 

十二

empathy 

in short supply 

reconcile? 

when pigs fly

Kitty Cheung (she/她) is a Cantonese Canadian writer and artist living on unceded Katzie, Tsawwassen, Stó:lō, W̱SÁNEĆ, and Kwantlen land. With a fondness for stories overlapping cultural identity, queerness, and mental health, her writing zips between poetry and prose. Currently an undergraduate student at Simon Fraser University, she studies Interactive Arts and Technology with a minor in World Literature. Her writing has been published in The Peak SFU, The Lyre, Ricepaper Magazine, and Best Canadian Poetry. Kitty finds solace in zebra pens and drag shows. Her work can be found here: @kitscatastrophe.