Yellow
Updated: Feb 23
Dear Asian Youth,
It’s six letters with a double L
Ballet, allure, pollen, hollow - small
We’re on an outdoor stage
The sunflowers are in full bloom
My skin tone doesn’t match the slippers
Light places a sandpaper kiss against my lips
Yellow confetti’s strung around my hips like a choker:
A forgotten afternoon or purposefully left-behind heirloom
It’s the name of a Coldplay song
The first time I heard “Yellow” in Chinese, I played it on repeat
I wanted to dance, but - by then - I’d stopped tapping my feet
It’s not the stars that make the night sky complete
Yellow is the soft, incandescent flicker of light bulbs and neon signs
They light up Chinatown at 11PM while store owners sigh
Mud-stained streets
Beneath them: dark, dirty feet
Yellow is liminal space and not being seen
It’s knowing you’ll never be clean
Yellow is feeling small and not having space
Yellow is not feeling safe
Yellow is heartache and drowning in ocean waves
It’s shaking when you hear a gunshot and wondering what will be left in your wake
Asian Girl, will you leave behind memories? Or just dreamscapes and a splash of paint?