I am from Qingdao, the land of beer
Where even our seas get drunk
Our scallions grow taller than the Empire State Building
and land on each and every table

I am from the land of dogs
Tobi, the loyal guardian who stands firm by my side
Coco, the little princess who likes to kiss me
Qiqi, my smart classmate
And Mario, the superstar in Times Square

I am from the land of friends
An American friend had the same growing pains as I did
A Colombian friend loves hot dogs with pineapple sauce
A Japanese friend asked me to go to a hot-spring hotel in Izu
An Indian friend told me there is a Sikh community in Queens

I am from the land of magic
The Little Prince bids goodbye to the fox, and then meets my paintbrush
Fresh asparagus and computer programming fall in love, and then sing loudly together
Artificial intelligence and human beings may eventually be unable to avoid a war
TikTok live streaming may soon be forgotten but augmented reality will bring me back to the land of beer
 Facial recognition will allow me to put on a mask to say, “I love you”

I am from all kinds of food
Dumplings to celebrate the school’s acceptance offer with my parents
Instant noodles to ring in the New Year with my friends
Bananas baked by Ecuadorian girls in Flushing
The fresh croissant the owner of the coffee shop in Denver gave me

Now
I walk very fast
I note whether the asparagus is organic or not
I calculate the CVS coupons for the most cost-effective purchases
I sit on the bleachers cheering for the Yankees in the Bronx with the crowds
I feel like I’m from New York
Yes! I’m from New York

Wait a minute!
I still can’t tell the coins apart; where are the jiao or fen?
I still can’t tell why the hitter can’t hit base

 No!
 I’m not from America after all
I am not from the land of burgers and fries