The 18th installment of the anthology sees change as an encompassing theme, whether it has already happened or if it is yet to happen. In “Spark Labyrinth,” the speaker explores their sense of belonging in Jerusalem. “Three year-old Chinatown Blues” is a poem rooted in family and place, with Chinatown being “the interval where my / roots claimed their stake.” “A Grandfather’s Story” chronicles a family’s displacement from Hong Kong during the Second World War. “41st and West Boulevard” is a poem written as a stream-of-consciousness, with one thought jumping to the next organically: Teenagers huff and sigh, life is so / Hard to see what he is thinking, poor / Guy walks up and asks for a cigarette, / 45 cents for an apple, a big red juicy / Lips, are they real?“ “A New Beginning” explores the anxieties of a family set to immigrate to Canada from Romania in 48 hours.
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