my birthright cathywas a jacketthat never fitbut we made it.nothing mutes featuresforeignernon belongingimmigrant. the jacket made me smalleri took up less spacei made them feel more comfortablei lived under layers. but then it got tightas i grew sizes my eyes opened widemy mind became wiserthe double-edged swordthat split my insides upi broke it with my tongueand i burned it in a firetake my name to claimwhat’s held by colonizerssewing back togetherthe wounds that they dividedi can testify for my family’s survival8500 milesstill rooted at arrival. la la la la la lamy name is my birthrightla la la la la lamy name is my birthrightso rise, rise say your name and riserise, risesay your name and rise. see, cathy is their claima figurative harbora brand in their own languagelike my bloodline has no honorbut the people of the jungledefeat your agent orangeand the people of the boatsjourney strong across the watersso i take this jacket offand don my people’s armorand i rock the coat of armsof my motherland soldiersmy name is thy nguyeni’m my ancestors’ reprisemy people span the seasbut we stay rooted at arrival. la la la la la lamy name is my birthrightla la la la la lamy name is my birthrightso rise, rise say your name and riserise, risesay your name and rise. thy nguyenOctober 21, 2018 0 Likes