nathan joe
introduction
(or: the rage poem)
— This is rage
— A play about rage
— Do not call it a play
— A play written in rage
— Do not call it a play
— A text
— Yes
— A book of spells
— Yes
— An instruction manual
— Yes
— Written in the blood of rage
— With rage in its skin
— In its DNA
— Raging against the light of day
— Against the grain
— RAGE PLASTERED FACES
— This is a poem
— A war cry
— A raging storm
— RAGE
— YES
— RAGE
— AND NO IT IS NOT A QUIET WORD
— BUT WHEN THEY COME FOR YOU
— AND OH
— OH
— THEY WILL COME
— I GUARANTEE IT
— THEY WILL SAY
— YOUR RAGE IS MESSY
— YOUR RAGE IS HARD TO UNDERSTAND
— YOUR RAGE IS SELF-INDULGENT
— BUT I HAVE NEVER HAD A CHANCE TO RAGE
— TO FEEL
— FREELY
— TO EXPRESS
— FREELY
— THIS IS RAGE DISTILLED
— PURE RAGE
— RAGE UNCENSORED
— RAGE CRYING TO BE HEARD
— RAGE 2: the ragening
— RAGE 3: return of the rage
— RAGE 4: 2 rage 2 rageful
— WHAT I’M TRYING TO SAY IS
— My rage is too big for one film
— I need
— We need
— A whole franchise
— TONIGHT OUR SMILES ARE HAMMERS
— TONIGHT OUR SMILES TEAR HOLES IN REALITY
— TONIGHT OUR SMILES LEAVE MESS IN THEIR WAKE IN CHINA SHOP
— LIKE BULL IN CHINA SHOP
— LIKE CHINAMAN IN CHINASHOP
— LIKE CHINABULL IN METAPHOR
— WE SMASH IT ALL UP
— WE ARE EVERY ASIAN ACCENT MOCKED
— EVERY SPRAY AND WOK AWAY
— EVERY POLL TAX AND EVERY TIGHT ASIAN PUSSY
— EVERY MICKEY ROONEY IN BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY’S
— EVERY SIAMESE CAT IN LADY AND THE TRAMP
— EVERY ASIAN SINGING SHE BANGS SHE BANGS OH BABY SHE MOVES SHE MOVES
— BECAUSE OTHERWISE
— YOU’D NEVER KNOW HOW ANGRY
— HOW SASSY
— HOW PETTY AND PETULANT
— HOW PLAYFUL AND YES
— HOW RAGEFUL
— BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY
— HOW FULL OF CONTRADICTION I AM
— WHERE ARE YOU FROM
— RAGE
— YOUR ENGLISH IS VERY GOOD
— RAGE
— YOU’RE PRETTY BIG FOR A
— RAGE
— YOU’RE PRETTY TALL FOR A
— RAGE
— HAS ANYONE EVER TOLD YOU
— RAGE
— I HAVE BECOME UNREASONABLE
— BECAUSE I HAVE NO REASON
— TO REASON WITH YOU
— SENTENCES LEFT UNFINISHED
— QUESTIONS CLIPPED LIKE WINGS
— FROM BIRDS I WOULD LOVE TO SHOOT DOWN
— FROM TREES THAT YOU HAVE BUILT OVER THIS SACRED LAND
— THIS LAND THAT IS NOT YOURS
— WHICH YOU HAVE CLAIMED
— RAGE
— I CLAIM IT TOO
— BUT I AM A GUILTY MISTRESS TO YOUR HAND
— I am only just learning my role in all of this
— Learning just how complicit I am
— Learning
— And unlearning
— CRYING
— TEARS
— CRYING
— SPIT
— CRYING
— BLOOD
— CRYING
— SHIT
— CRYING
— PISS
— MY BODY IS A VESSEL
— FILLED WITH RAGE
— YES
— RAGE
— FACES TWISTED UGLY
— UGLY FACES TWISTED
— FACE MADE UGLY
— BY RAGE
— AND WHEN THEY COME
— And oh they WILL come
— THEY WILL SPEAK OF YOUR RAGE
— AS SOMETHING TO BE ASHAMED OF
— THEY WILL SAY
— YOUR RAGE IS TOO CRASS
— TOO OBSCENE
— TOO INARTICULATE
— MESSY MESSY SHOUTING
— THEY CANNOT HEAR YOU
— WRONG
— THEY ARE NOT LISTENING
— SO MAKE THEM LISTEN
— YOUR SILENCE WILL NOT PROTECT YOU
— THEY WILL SAY WHERE IS THE STORY
— WHERE IS THE NARRATIVE
— GIVE THEM NO STORY
— GIRL MEETS BOY
— BOY MEETS GIRL
— NO
— FUCK OFF
— RAGE
— WHERE ARE YOUR CHARACTERS
— GIVE THEM NO CHARACTERS
— THERE ARE NO HEROES
— NO VILLAINS
— JUST CATASTROPHE
— JUST THE WORLD TIPPING
— TIPPING ON ITS AXIS
— WATER DIRTY WITH ANXIETY
— MOUTHS BITING THE HANDS THAT FEED
— BITING THE HANDS THAT BLEED
— AND BLEEDING FROM THEIR LIMBS
— THEY WILL SAY
— MAKE YOUR RAGE EASIER TO SWALLOW
— DO NOT LISTEN
— NO
— GIVE THEM SOMETHING TO SWALLOW
— GIVE THEM SOMETHING TO CHOKE ON
— the stereotype of my size is ‘i am small’
— ‘i am meek’
— But our statistical significance is overwhelming
— WE ARE MASSIVE
— GROWING
— AND GROWING
Nathan Joe (he/him) is a Chinese-Kiwi playwright (2021 Bruce Mason Playwriting Award) and performance poet (2020 National Slam Champion). Most recently, his play Scenes from a Yellow Peril had its world premiere at the ASB Waterfront Theatre in June. Previous work includes curating BIPOC spoken-word event DIRTY PASSPORTS at Basement Theatre, co-creating Slay the Dragon or Save the Dragon or Neither with A Slightly Isolated Dog, and directing Yang/Young/杨 for Auckland Theatre Company. He is the newly appointed Creative Director of Auckland Pride.