Don’t Trust the Mind of a Laotian girl

Don’t Trust the Mind of a Laotian girl

especially if she’s a gemini like me,

for the na presented

is entirely different

from the na you don’t see.

so don’t be surprised

when she responds in cold texts

because she’ll expect you to know

she’s not interested.

she wears a red sint to the temple on market st.,

kneeling with a huge smile before the orange robed pah.

she secretly wants to question her devote mother:

“why find faith and kneel to the patriarchy?”

all of us have dreams

we won’t give that up—

deeply loving our families

but not those we lust.

we won’t shut our big mouths

too busy weighed down

by the need to succeed,

and to be the lucky one to leave

this colorless town

with never changing leaves—

jai lao bau yak yu ne.  

so approach only if not a roadblock.

for you will meet her brain first—

and you better pray you grow on her heart,

or she’ll just push you away and curse.

and don’t expect her to compete

for your love and affection,

she’s too busy putting in work

to unravel this male breadwinner obsession.

so do her a favor,

just walk away.

loneliness is not a stranger.

This poem was written for the Asian American Studies M191F poetry class, after “Don’t Trust a Samoan Girl” by Courtney Sina Meredith.