“When I Told You I Missed the City” by Grace

When I Told You I Missed the City

I’ve taken to eavesdropping 
on the crows. They’re such gossips. 

I miss walking by strangers 
on the street 

and not saying hello. 
I saw the only Chinese family here 

playing badminton on their lawn 
on a windy day 

and I almost wept. 
I saw a rainbow at my feet 

while crossing to get coffee 
and I let myself believe, finally, 

that I could be home. 
Yesterday, you were busy, focused— 

pouring soil 
into new pots for all our plants 

that grew and grew 
and then stopped. 

Rootbound, you called it. 
They need some space 

and time to adjust, 
but they’ll make it.




*Appears in Our Queer Histories Anthology

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Audio: Grace reads “When I Told You I Missed the City”

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Grace is a queer Hong Kong-born settler living on the traditional and Treaty territory of the Anishinabek people, now known as the Chippewa Tri-Council comprised of the Beausoleil, Rama, and Georgina Island First Nations. Her sophomore collection, Be Water, was released with Anvil Press on July 1, 2026. Her debut poetry collection, The Language We Were Never Taught to Speak, is a Lambda Award finalist.

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