an asian poem is the first thing you run to during a pandemic

if these words were to fill the void

of the lost blood

and frightened children,

this poem are the souls of those who 

were too scared to speak up

“go back to where you came from” cuts our throats

leaves us in an alley

so dark,

where does the flashlight guide

if we no longer want to go home

the world consumed us 

and threw us up on the ground

with our bodies limp,

our souls soared into the sky

and begged for the hands of others 

yet, we were left there,

to die.

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Biography:

Calista Ogburn is a Korean and Vietnamese American college student at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County studying Public Health with a minor in Asian Studies. She has studied at International high schools overseas which has given her a global perspective. She relates her poems with women about identity and gender oppression, body image issues, and building the foundation of self-worth. To read more about the author and her poetry, visit: www.calista-ogburn.com.