In the Beautiful Country by Jane Kuo

Author:Jane Kuo
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2022-02-25T00:00:00+00:00

Against Code

We’re used to the front of the store

no longer being so bright.

Ba says,

Maybe we won’t replace the glass

and just leave the plywood in place,

as it is.

Ma asks,

And if they break another glass wall?

Then we’ll board that up too,

all the way around until the store is

shielded in plywood.

Before that happens,

the city sends over

the health inspector to tell us,

You can’t leave the wall boarded up.

It’s against code.

And Ba doesn’t know what

the guy means by against code.

I don’t know either, so

we look it up.

The dictionary states,

Code is a system of words,

letters, figures, or other symbols

substituted for other words or letters or symbols

especially for the purpose of secrecy.

Then we read the second definition,

a systematic collection of laws or regulations.

Code can either be a secret language

or a collection of rules,

or both.

The glass replacement guys come by

three days later.

The front of the store is bright again.

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