Tomato harvest photo via Shutterstock
BY CHANGMING YUAN
Vegetarian Newly Converted
now eating nothing
but tomatoes, potatoes
carrots, cabbages,
apples, watermelons
cherries, strawberries
sorghum, pepper
i recognize them all like true communists
either in appearance
or in heart
while their lycopene may contribute
to the well-being of my ischemic heart
i can only draw bloody memories from them
about summer fields
about all my red pasts in China
ABOUT THE POET
Changming Yuan, an 8-time Pushcart nominee, grew up in rural China and currently tutors in Vancouver, where he co-edits Poetry Pacific with Allen Qing Yuan. Since mid-2005, Changming’s poetry has appeared in 839 literary publications worldwide, including Best Canadian Poetry, BestNewPoemsOnline and