Do You See Now?

DO YOU SEE NOW?

by Empress Han

(aka Mila Konomos)

This isn’t the first time

But how many times

Over how many generations

Before you see

that this isn’t the first time

How many hundreds of years

How many millions of lives

Until you see—

Do you see—

Do you see now--

No such thing

as a model minority

Do you see now—

All the blood covering

Your American dream

Now do you see—

We’re tokens

and trophies

Until we’re targets & scapegoats

for the rage & the hate

of a nation

Where

Our Skin is not white enough

Our Skin is not brown enough

Our Pain doesn’t hurt enough

For anyone to care enough

So we hide

Lay low

Lay down

Erase ourselves

Until we’re

invisible

Shadows

of pleasure

and

Bodies

of commodity

Under the pressure

To be

Everything for everyone

Swallow dignity

No room for self-pity

We eat silence

and secrets

Absorb violence

and tragedy

Centuries

Of wars and

thieves,

Laws

And policies

sanctioning

atrocities

to rid the earth

of yellow peril

and perpetual foreigners

except when we’re building your railroads

or farming your sugar cane

comforting your soldiers

birthing babies for your white mothers

pawns serving in your empires

You think I’m here because I wanted to be

I’m here because no one wanted me

But only to fulfill their dreams

Build their dreams

Scream their dreams

In my bed at night

My daughter at my side

Hold her close

Hold her tight

Pray & whisper

I’m raising her right

So she can see—

No such thing

As a model minority

So she can see—

No such thing

As an American dream

I rise

I weep

I fight

Hoping

She won’t ever have to see

Her own blood

covering

Your American dream.

Empress Han (aka Mila Konomos)

KAD, Poet, Artist, Activist.

Mila, a community member of The Faith Studio, has submitted this work in response to my desire to provide context to the recent and historical attacks on America's Asian population. This is her perspective. My hope is that as we pray for our Asian family we develop a compassion for a people beyond the AAPI (Asian American Pacfic Islander) label. That we see them in their humanity with struggle no unlike our own.