Written in the wake of the March 16, 2021 Atlanta-area Asian spa shootings.

Much thanks to Yindi Pei, Shannon Zhou, and Oanh Vu for reading and for feedback. Big love to Meriwether Clarke for her poet’s eye and her sensitivity. Thanks to Bao Phi for asking what it’d be like if I ended this poem on us, rather than on the reaction of others. Hopefully, that can be the next poem.