no-no boy - lam thi dep lyrics
shame on the southern face
oh, nicole saw the flags of uncle ho
sweep the streets she used to know
military issued boots and uniforms
shed like unfit skin on the pavement
twice, twice a widow
clutching an unreliable m16
stolen off dead infantry
lam thi dep, did you make it out?
are you doing becky’s nails in orange county?
general tran, he votes republican
his father was a fisherman
he’s a pastry chef at le bec fin
we both get drunk on miller beer
we say “salut,” instead of “cheers”
born, born feeling wrong
i sing my secrets in a song
too unfamiliar to belong
anywhere on either side
i took the train to 59th
felt guilty as i stood in line
don’t let this get back to mom
but i know every word to miss saigon
washed up in the ivy league
microagressed, hear the precious sing
with suffering for these “refugees”
in seminars, on bowling greens
with detached look+at+me empathy
but what does “refugee” really mean
besides villainizing cold war enemies
and re+ascribing validity
to the nation state?
meanwhile, displaced people seek
a way to make the best of things
and run away from real suffering
which we employ as currency
against doctoral imposter anxiety
look, i just want a house and a diamond ring
get off it, or pick up a god d+mn rifle
there’s no revolution
at brown university
no, not for lam or tran or nicole
or me
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