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a space for youth writing on mental health & identity
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a space for youth writing on mental health & identity
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![]() one: lessons i remember my father talking in the kitchen about the chinese dragon as he prepared his lunch. “it’s a symbol of power,” he told me, “strength, and luck.” he gave me a smile and said
“i see it in you, too.” the smile and the memory would never disappear from my thoughts for long. two: lunchbox i remember elementary school and the children with their crackers, apple slices, and sandwiches all in a brown paper bag while mine was a large, oval lunchbox with leftover char siu fan for lunch. “your lunchbox is so weird,” was something i heard often and i would try to laugh it off. but when the stares were gone i looked at mine and then at theirs and wondered what was wrong with my family. three: libel i remember the news the way some proclaimed it as “the chinese virus”. i saw the way people looked at my family warily in the streets as if we were cursed and we would spread it onto them. those three words held tremendous power and we suffered as a result. the way people looked at us as if we should feel bad for contaminating the world; the guilt they pressed onto us felt so heavy. i could not breathe under the weight of it. four: legend but i finally remembered my father’s words the things he told me in the safety of our home. the dragon, the protector full of luck. and i remember my father’s confidence in me in his words “i see it in you, too.” and so i stand up straight with my head held high, proud for there is a dragon underneath my skin waiting to be let out and i can’t wait to hear it roar. Comments are closed.
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November 2023
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