Page 13 - SOUTHERN VOICES_2020

Hamden Coneflower
Gina Nguyen
Photography
Maw carried on and on, but Florence-Eloise and I just waded in the water, looking at each other with goofy, euphoric grins.
“We should do this again some time, kid,” she whispered, lightly splashing in my direction. “You might be some fun after all.”
“And I’ll tell you what, Liam Walters, when your Paw hears about your little adventure, he’s gonna be fit to be tied! Oh—”
“Definitely,” I whispered back. The silence between Florence-Eloise and me, the white noise that poured out of her moonstruck eyes and dripping brown hair, blocked out any hoarse curses or threats coming from Maw’s smoking-strained voice.r
Quê Hương
Hometown
Gina Nguyen
Home can be hard to reach
When it is nearly ten thousand miles away.
But when I do manage to visit, the same question
resurfaces:
“Quê hương con ở đâu?” Where are you from? Every syllable articulated
But blending softly from one to another,
And looks of curiosity and wondering faces
From friends, from family, from friends of family, Even strangers I’ve never met.
And every year, I hesitate before saying,
“I was born in the States, but my parents are from
Vietnam.”
Like a record on replay,
The words roll off my tongue.
But this answer only works for my peers and
some.
The older generation expects something more: “Mẹ is from Sa Đéc, Cha is from Phước Khánh.” When these words are spoken,
I am reminded of my roots.
My ancestors bathed in the Mekong just as I had; They, too, woke to the sound of clucking
chickens,
They walked the same path I did to the flea
market every morning.
Hearing my native language makes me wonder Where everything I know about my culture Started.
Stuck in Time
Shelby Tisdale
Drawing—pen
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