The Songs of Ages
By Wayne Chen
"t
he songs of ages” is a poem documenting the Chinese American experience as highlighted on the 2024 AACC Civil Rights Tour. The events discussed in the poem include the Chinese Massacre of 1871, the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, paper sons and daughters, Wong Kim Ark, and the poems inscribed on the walls at Angel Island.
do not forget
the ropes
suffocating the necks of
the Chinese
who sing the song of ages:
we can’t breathe.
do not forget
the papers
of racism legalized
of exclusion codified.
they sing a worn-out song:
the Chinese must go.
do not forget
the papers
of sons and daughters
subverting exclusion.
they sing the song of ages:
we shall find a way.
do not forget
the fighters!
he who challenged and won
birthright citizenship for all.
he sings the song of ages:
we belong in this land.
do not forget
the poems
etched into the barracks
of detention and determination.
they sing the song of ages:
we wait,
we wait,
we wait.
do not forget
the God who sees
who liberates
who sings the song of ages:
you are fearfully and wonderfully made
i have called you by name
you are mine.
Photo credit: Abigail Erickson
Wayne Chen is a second-generation Taiwanese American pastor. He received his MDiv from Fuller Seminary and currently serves as the Minister of Worship and Outreach at Missio Community Church in Pasadena, CA. Wayne enjoys cultivating sacred spaces where people find a home in Christ. When he’s not connecting with people or reading, Wayne enjoys bouldering, baking sourdough bread, and watching the San Antonio Spurs.
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