Roots
Clawing to find
her mother’s embrace
The need to connect
The failure
To trace
A touch
So familiar feels foreign
Scars
Left peppered from bombs
Unspoken trauma
Suppressed
Too far gone
Through minefields
She tip-toes
So careful to find
Some semblance of peace
From decades unkind
Feelings
So delicate
But quick to explode
Her eyes tell the story
Too raw to behold
She yearns to unravel
Her mother’s truth
Soul weeping
Far reaching
She fails to produce
The simple melody
to soothe her
Survival
No longer a joy
But a way of living
In a land
Far away
Often times
Unforgiving
Only broken tunes
make up
her mother’s song
Ashamed
Of her anger
Towards someone
So strong
A survivor
Of war
Displaced
And uprooted
A home
She birthed
In a world
So polluted
Full of hate
She fought hard
To break through it
Hope
A glimmer
Shines through
Her mother’s eyes
A gateway
To understand
What’s behind
Her silent cries
Quiet intentions
In place
For her daughter
Buried so deep
Under currents
Open water
Lay hidden
Waiting to be
Discovered
ALICE NGUYỄN was born and raised in Oakland, CA after her parents escaped the aftermath of the Viêt Nam War and immigrated to the United States. She is the Administrative Director for a business consulting company that is powered by Feng Shui, Astrology and Favorable Timing tools. She is currently working on an app with her team to help bridge the two worlds of Eastern metaphysics with Western workflows by using technology to translate and incorporate these ancient techniques. She holds a B.A. in Business Management Economics and an M.F.A. in Advertising.