Hilary Tham
MRS. WEI ON GOVERNMENTS
In Washington, DC, Mrs. Wei takes
a tour
of the Capitol and is impressed.
She tells her daughter:
"Malaysian Government is like the American
price system: take it or leave it.
It's easy enough to leave a dress hanging
on the rack, but a country is not something
you can get up and walk away from. Your Congress
resembles our marketplace: haggling and shouting
until everyone is a little satisfied.
Can we visit a shop where I can talk
the price down? I want to buy a victory.
I need a good fight."
Hilary Tham (1946-2005)
is the author of nine books of poetry (including Counting,
The Tao of Mrs. Wei, and Bad Names for Women), a
collection of short fiction (Tin Mines and Concubines), and
a memoir (Lane With No Name). Born in Klang, Malaysia, she
immigrated to the US in 1971, where she married, converted to Judaism,
and gave birth to three daughters. She was extremely active in the
region's literary community, serving as Editor-in-Chief for The Word
Works, as Poetry Editor for the Potomac Review, and teaching
extensively as a visiting writing in schools throughout Virginia.
Published in
Volume 7, Number 3, Summer 2006.
To read more by this author:
Hilary
Tham
Hilary Tham: The Whitman Issue
Hilary Tham's Intro to Vol. 3, No. 4
(Fall 2002)
Hilary
Tham: Audio Issue
Hilary
Tham: Tenth Anniversary Issue
Thanks
to Hilary Tham's family for permission to reprint.