Seeing Myself Writing
{Though our stories are often written, our platform welcomes stories told in other ways. We invite submissions of Spoken Word poetry or performance art, dance or music, and visual art as well. We only ask that if it's not a literary submission, that you offer some written contextualization of the piece. }
"recipe for grieving i." by Anya Tang
there are only grandmothers left in my family
because the men smoked themselves to death.
cigarette butts in Atlantic ashtray
F-2 visas and fucking yellowtape borders
journey to the west like 孙悟空 before
我快忘掉中文了,可我没忘我爷爷
because there are only grandmothers left in my family
they make us remember
there are only nieces left. and daughters
and no smoking in the kitchen or they scold us for poisoning the food
but now there's chinglish in the kitchen and ropy scars collect on
burnt skin hot oil love & labor
tough skin
callouses caked in spices 来在吃一点
fat babies are a gift we say gongxifacai for flat noses and thin eyes
cause when there are only grandmothers left in my family,
we finally get a seat at the table