Out of Place
Location
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.