Poem by Đan Trân Công
5th Grade - Commodore Sloat Elementary School
San Francisco

 

My Culture

I am the daughter of
Hard-working rice groves
From the spiritual earth
Forest of Asia
      I am from steamy plains of egg rolls
      I've known raging phoenixes
      Shy and sad water dragons
      And lake spirits of rivers
      Of all time.
My people are the bird people,
Hard-working and sincere
Yet, they are full of earth
Enchanted stubbornness
Raging red anger, and blue
Sadness for they cannot
See their feelings within
      I am the daughter of
      The writings on forgotten
      Broken-down walls
      With true praises
      Of the ages.
I am part of the lonely
Brick village and the calm
White grass.
I was grown in the cracked
Woven leaves and the jade moss
      The green powder tambourine
      Bring sadness every year
      In my hands.
The old brown
Rotted wine
Sing in the sacred forest
      I wear a brown
      And white kimono
      In the calm of day
      I am part of the old white letter
      Bringing its words
      Around the world.

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