Strolling past Jianguo Road, Beijing, I see row upon row of workers in red uniforms doing their company cheer:
Give me a W! Give me an A! Give me an L! Give me a squiggly!
Give me an M! Give me an A! Give me an R! Give me a T!...
When working in state-run department stores, Chinese workers used to look like stern-faced mandarins, keeping a watchful eye on goods. They now sing company songs together, persuade all the passers-by to go into the store, and most importantly, answer picky customers’ questions with big smiles.
Red Guards, Red Guards…
anything new
under the rising sun
Give me a W! Give me an A! Give me an L! Give me a squiggly!
Give me an M! Give me an A! Give me an R! Give me a T!...
When working in state-run department stores, Chinese workers used to look like stern-faced mandarins, keeping a watchful eye on goods. They now sing company songs together, persuade all the passers-by to go into the store, and most importantly, answer picky customers’ questions with big smiles.
Red Guards, Red Guards…
anything new
under the rising sun
Sketchbook, 6:6, November/December 2011
Note: The title and the opening line of the haiku come from the lyrics of We Are Chairman Mao's Red Guards
