What formula should I use
to calculate my drifting,
swinging pendulum,
an aimless boat that
carries the cargo
of my self?
I wonder
about my dad.
What did he use
when he sailed
from the Mekong in ‘77
across the South China Sea?
Did he even think to calculate
his drift, or did something
so subjective, I mean
relative, not cross
his mind during
his escape?
Did he sway,
as I sway when
the tide’s inquisitive
crest crashes over my ship?
You definitely want some chopsticks,
right? To eat my pasta? I’m ok
for right now, because for now,
my sails still stand sturdily
against tenacious tides
and subtly cryptic crests,
until another, distinct
but similar swell
finds me again,
thrusting my boat back
when you tell me that maybe
We shouldn’t go to the Tết festival,
you mean, I shouldn’t go to the festival
because it might just be too Asian for you.
Crash.
What equation do I use to figure
where I am in a desolate sea?
And is there partial credit
for sailing with no anchor?
If you’re looking for me,
maybe find me by your shoreline,
Vietnamese, but tumbling in the
white wash.
