by Ocean Vuong
Afterward, I woke
into the red dark
to write
gia ?ình
on this yellow pad
Looking through the letters
I can see
into the earth
below, the blue blur
of bones.
Quickly--
I drill the ink
into a period.
The deepest hole,
where the bullet,
after piercing
my father's back,
has come
to rest.
Quickly--I climb
inside.
I enter
my life
the way words
entered me--
by falling
through
the silence
of this wide
open mouth.
From:
Night Sky with Exit Wounds
Copyright ©:
2016, Copper Canyon Press
Last updated February 24, 2023