I inhale into my back bend as my mother and pregnant aunt do the same.
my mother’s toes begin to wiggle on their own
my aunt, eyes closed and belly full, mumbles along with the mantra
words that are unfamiliar to me
yet are home.
Keith prefers to be called Di Laoshi
but I call him Keith in private
even though he compliments me on my characters
and wants to send me to Beijing.
I smile because
xiexie is easier to pronounce than
wo bu zhidao.
my teacher
named for a province in Spain says
he has adopted himself.
the yoga DVD instructs to
drink from the well,
so I
call to Aunt Lakshmi
Di Laoshi
Master Ozuna
and I do.