a painting i did (not) finish

walking into my room
those i know always stare at
a girl trapped in the gray canvas
yellow bonnet covers her brown hair
that two sides show two individuals
her with a sky-blue dress
with wrinkles from the hot sun-day
but what they wonder
is why she has no face?

i tell them:
do you know about a girl
whose face a tone of mud
a neck colored with the noon sun
and white hands that
resemble caucasians?
do you know about a life
of black, of yellow, of white
intertwined
a product of differences
that belong to no home?
she has no faces
she has no races
she lives in the shade of her own
hands hugging one another
for support
for reassurance
but they are still searching for something
in this murky liquid
she is standing in the water
she is drowning

or instead, you can say
i don’t know how to draw a face
or how to finish the dress
that my little stupid story
is covering up for the lie
for why her skin has three colors

i guess you should know better
about a girl who has no face
because in real life
she has no face, either
search for her in the dark
search for her in the water
has she blended in
or is she waving in vain?


Bach Le is currently living in Hanoi, Vietnam. From young, Bach has had a deep interest in poetry, shown through his works in both written poetry and poetry slam. Through poetry, Bach unveils his insights in life, across topics from love and self-identity to grief and loss.