Thousand Star Hotel confronts the silence around racism, police brutality, and the invisibility of the Asian American urban poor. Bao Phi is a National Poetry Slam finalist.
From “with thanks to Sahra Nguyen for the refugee style slogan”:
They give the kids candy to bet.
My daughter loses the first four rounds,
she’s a quiet wire as they take her candy away, piece by piece.
When she finally wins, I ask if she wants to play again.
No! she shouts, grabbing her candy, I want to go home!
True refugee style:
take everything you got and run with it.
From “with thanks to Sahra Nguyen for the refugee style slogan”:
They give the kids candy to bet.
My daughter loses the first four rounds,
she’s a quiet wire as they take her candy away, piece by piece.
When she finally wins, I ask if she wants to play again.
No! she shouts, grabbing her candy, I want to go home!
True refugee style:
take everything you got and run with it.