Inside Out & Back Again

by Thanhhà Lại

We pretend the monsoon has come early. In the distance bombs explode like thunder, slashes lighten the sky, gunfire falls like rain. Distant yet within ears, within eyes. Not that far away after all.

I step back, hating pity, having learned from Mother that the pity giver feels better,

never the pity receiver.

Sometimes the spelling changes when adding an s. Knife becomes knives. Sometimes a c is used instead of a k, even if it makes more sense for cat to be spelled kat. Sometimes a y is used instead of an e, even if it makes more sense for moldy to be spelled molde. Whoever invented English should have learned to spell. September

Chant, my child, Breathe in, peaceful mind. Breathe out, peaceful smile.

MiSSSisss WaSShington says if every learner waits to speak perfectly, no one would learn a new language.