Inside Out & Back Again

by Thanhhà Lại

Mother says, People share when they know they have escaped hunger. Shouldn’t people share because there is hunger?

Chant, my child, Breathe in, peaceful mind. Breathe out, peaceful smile. She strokes my back. Chant, my daughter; your whispers will bloom and shelter you from words you need not hear. Chant

Nam Mô A Di à Pht Nam Mô Quan Th Âm B Tát. She strokes my arm. I chant, wanting the gentle strokes to continue forever. I chant, wanting Mother’s calmness to sink into me.

This year I hope I truly learn to fly-kick, not to kick anyone so much as to fly. January