Traffic Light

Sitting at the intersection
I wait
Watching cars pass by like petals in the wind.
Ahead is Suisun city
Where the marina is crowded by
A melting pot of familiarity.
To my right is bố’s hometown
Ho Chi Minh City
Where the water flows into independence
And pride.
I wait.
What do you do when your tongue
Loses the same language
That brought you and your family together?
I feel a tender grasp on my shoulder
Bạn có sao không
Mom asks.
It takes a while to process
I’m okay me
I wait
Remembering how bố shook his head
Again after I asked him to
Repeat himself in English
—then
I feel the same tender grasp
On my shoulder and it’s
mẹ pointing at the green light

Brandon Thein An Vu is a Vietnamese-American who lives in the Bay Area. He is an educator who focuses on empowering students through language.