(view original version of this piece.)
ancestor-speak
how wistful to open an eye mid-winter
discovering ourselves another season
unabandoned
silly daughter, we hunger
frothed drool for dawned meat
give us your spirit song while you're at it
your welcoming threshold
seasoned honorings
sing it louder!
we want your mother's lemongrass chicken soup
brothy, singeing
the rust-dust-death in our lungs
so warm we call it summer
you're our daughter
our me ntxhais
hopeful posterity
unholster your tongue
wandering daughter
chin up
home is wherever we can reach you
this joss stick light
framing our war-eroded shadows in yours
is how we live through you
Motherland-less
but
homed
in
you
Notes:
Image transforms from incense sticks, origami paper, koi washi, red thread into flowers, threaded stars, Hmong paj ntaub. The poem is based on the Hmong ceremony "Laig dab" which is an annual ceremony for feeding and honoring the ancestors.