Out of Place

Why are your eyes so small?

Are you Asian or Chinese?

CHING CHONG!

You’re Asian, you’re suppose to be good at math.

Asians always get good grades –

Mom, why am I who I am?

why am I Laotian-American?

why do I have to go to the temple and pray with you?

why do I have to learn and accept off of your views?

why can I not choose?

 I use to look at you in the FACE

DISGRACED to be part of this Asian RACE

because I felt so out of PLACE

I used to look at you in the eyes

and I let you know I was the one I despised

with this Laotian blood flowin’ through my veins

rushin’ through my brain, stressin’ over all of this pain I hold inside of me

trying to understand why I’m so different to everyone else

why I can’t be the same as everyone else –

but now I understand….

I understand why you had to go to refugee camps

I understand the struggles and pain you had to endure to get to this foreign land

I understand the hardships you have faced learning a new language that everyone knew except for you.

but just because I understand, doesn’t mean I will ever experience what you have gone through.

and the reason why I will never have to experience these things

is because you have protected me from them

so why am I who I am?

why am I Laotian-American?

because you made me the way I am and I am so proud and honored to be Southeast Asian-American.