i wonder what it’d be like to be fluent in

our your language
how you seamlessly switch between

english
and
vietnamese.

and when you speak to me—
i pause.

…

processing is patience
masking the air

it is home waiting to spill
from my mouth

and you drop your shoulders
after hearing english.

displacement means you are
no longer living

and this new life is a 9-5 i want you
to get out of.

when you speak to me in
vietnamese

and i pause:
impatience fills your lungs

aching to escape
speak to me again and

wait.

…

i want to tell you how

i want to
f
a
l
l

in love

to live and to dream

to be fluent

in the language you are familiar with.