Displacement, relocation and moving families
Chiwan Choi’s The Yellow House (Civil Coping Mechanisms, 2017) embraces us like a sad song for what is lost and left behind. The image of the Yellow House seems at times to represent the emotional weight of nostalgia, and at times the madness we inhabit, the place between here and there, between then and now,…
Pack light. Both physical and emotional baggage slows the pace. Have a plan of action, A clear idea of where to put the next step: The name of a city, An address, The picture of the door you’ll knock on, The phone number of an advocate. Remember your tropical spirit. The strong palm tree bends…
In 2004, I volunteer-taught an ESL class with the Ponca City Area Literacy Council in North Central Oklahoma. After each class, I went to a nearby diner on the corner of Grand and 5th, and sat down to write in my journal about my dear friend. I was severely depressed and angry that she was…