inheritance

written by annie wu

cover photo by larry yu

i think i am still learning

what it means to have,

or to own a piece of history

in the space behind your teeth

maybe wild things grow out of

me because i have yet to 

tame the history that weighs 

heavy in my bones, 

the heritage that is decadent and

burdensome in its

flavor.

do they feast because

they enjoy the weight

of this birthright or because

they worship difference

as exotic?

they tour around

a rich culture, pick and choose

the parts they like, twist them

to suit their needs

i pray this is not the only

way i can fold out the

dissonance in 

myself.

i am tired of

floating adrift in

between two destinations.

i am ashamed that

english rolls off my

tongue in a way mandarin

never did.

i lose parts of myself in both places.