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First it was grandpa, great uncle, great uncle, great auntie and grandma
The news that grandma had it came an unexpected week before Thanksgiving
Cancer the doctors said
I think she knew she’d be the next to go
After her younger brother’s death from cancer she wept so much
That we were worried about her
“At least when I go I know that you will be in God’s hands”
She said as I held her hand in mine
“It’s a good think you got your Confirmation”
Earlier that day, her friends at the nail salon paid her a special visit
Painted her nails a glossy hot pink
So she would be glamorous even in the afterlife
I told her I was dating a Catholic man
And that made her very happy
She said it was her dying wish
I see it clearly
One, two, three, four, five coffins
Assortment of relatives in white mourning cloths
I am almost used to it
Grandpa had converted from Buddhism to please her family
Her being from the North and him from the South
They were your Vietnamese enemies to lover troupe
The Romeo and Juliet of Hanoi
A priest had been the one to advocate for their marriage
He’d pronounced their love “undying”
I like to think now they live out their eternal devotion to one another
Their many acts of service to their church and the community
Paying off in the afterlife
Who knew you could get Cancer in so many body parts?
Lungs, liver, colon, skin
The Americans refuse to acknowledge that because they sprayed
Our homes, jungles and fields with Agent Orange
That babies were born with horrible deformities for generations
And now we must see our elders die one by one
Each death is a testament to the legacy of suffering.
Carina Kimlan Hinton is a mixed race, Vietnamese American poet /writer who explores issues of identity, cultural belonging and intergenerational trauma. You can find her work in the following publications: DiaCRITICS (Diasporic Vietnamese Artists Network), Real Soul (and here), Project Yellow Dress (here and here), Vietnamese Boat People (and here) Watercress Literary Journal (here and here) and the UC Berkeley Literature and Arts Magazine. She was a finalist for the Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) Digital Storytelling Contest.
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