Chinese Female Kung-Fu Superheroes

are real. They jump from roof-top

to roof-top, do a backward flip

down to the concrete floor and land

perfectly on two feet.

The metal of swords clang,

the body moves with the precision

of a praying mantis striking

its prey.

Their dresses are colorful, long

and lacy, billow and flair

with each turn and twist.

Jewelry in the hair dangles and sparkles.

Chinese female kung-fu superheroes

are smart, fight bad guys, do good deeds,

and risk their lives.

They appear when least expected.

Chinese female kung-fu superheroes

never give up. They travel often alone

by foot through mountains. They work hard

training to master various martial arts forms.

They do not care about Barbies,

those plastic dolls of only one hair color

that just looked pretty in the 80's. They aren't

impressed; they do not want a boring life.

Chinese female kung-fu superheroes venture out

and save cities against villains. They steal into the night

in their black ninja-like suits, soundlessly through a house

to recover a magical sword and to release a prisoner,

knowing exactly where to press with their two fingertips

to freeze the guards and to accomplish their mission.

After Jeannine Hall Gailey's

Becoming the Villainess