Alan Chong Lau

b. July 11, 1948 Oroville, California, grew up in Paradise, California

studied at the Nanga School in Kyoto

mentor was Nirakushi Toriumi

married Kazuko Nakane, an artist and art historian, from Kyoto

B.A. in Art 1976, University of California Santa Cruz


Alan Lau Pages at Francine Seders Gallery

Alan Lau at WaterBridge Review

Alan Lau at Elliott Bay Book Company

Alan Lau interviews Johsel Namkung

Alan Lau at Open Books

WINDOW SHOPPING

girl bought behind
a window of twinkling xmas lights 
you could have been cigarettes 
chocolate kisses from the p.x. 
the gaiety in your eyes 
imported all the way from hershey pennsylvania 
your english 
was that good 
the pendant of buddha 
hung between breasts 
showed faith 

spritely grandmother 
offerings of spittle collect on the stem of your cigar 
as a girl squats by your side 
after a "short time" 

armed with a water hose 
just one spray and 
the shellings of men's frustrations 
drip off the back porch 
onto foliage 

in the parlour 
sit leftover girls 
intent over a movie magazine 
flipping thru the pages 
bruce lee still leaps out 

old men 
bowls of moonlight on their heads 
trickle in after shops close 
fingers clipped, hair scented with oil 

flowers deck the altar 
above buddha 
a portrait of the king and queen 

at this temple 
the head priest 
extends a smile 
a copy of "true confessions" 

this his only english book 
with a request to translate a story 
i was a topless darling 
at california's sin college 

"i wanted 
just to touch 
to be touched..." 

Alan Chong Lau

from Talking Back to Buddha

Tom Bolling's home page