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?

Whoever invented English must have loved snakes.

People living on others’ goodwill cannot afford political opinions.

Whoever invented English should be bitten by a snake.

Would be simpler if English and life were logical.

I pout, but MiSSSisss WaSShington says every language has annoyances and illogical rules, as well as sensible beauty.

Whoever invented English should have learned to spell.

Oh, my daughter, at times you have to fight, but preferably not with your fists.

Being stubborn won’t make you fluent. Practicing will! The more mistakes you make, the more you’ll learn not to. They laugh. Shame on them! Challenge them to say something in Vietnamese and laugh right back.

Mother has always wanted an engineer, a real doctor, a poet, and a lawyer. She turns to me. You love to argue, right? No I don’t. She brightens. I vow to become much more agreeable.