the people say good morning like they're used to me,
they wave when they see me in the hall.
but i know that as soon as they get close to me,
they'll wish that they never had at all.

awkward questions, awkward stares
told that i'm putting on airs
written out of all the prayers
i don't fit into the squares

I don’t belong in the background.
I don’t want to live in the background.
But I do.
I don’t belong where I live.
I realize that now.
Maybe if I belonged in the background, I wouldn’t be like them.
They belong in the background.
But I don’t.
I am not like them.
But I don’t have to be like them.
I don’t have to belong in their lives.
Not in the spaces, the margins.
Not in the background.
I just have to be me.
You might think you know me.
You might think you know me as a woman.
As an Asian.
But you don’t.
You don’t know me.
Yes, I am a woman.
Yes, I am an Asian.
But I am not only those things.
You don’t know me for who I am.
I am not just a woman.
I am not just an Asian.
You don’t know who I am.
I am me.
I am not a hero. I am not a savior.
But I don’t belong in the background.
And I am just getting started.

burn the witch
and feed the rich.

unmarked graves
have nothing to say.
were they the hunters?
or were they the prey?

even if we can’t find heaven
we get three 6s instead of 7s
i’ll walk through hell with you
i’ll find a heaven with you

i’m fine, i say.

(i’m not.)

the electronics of your heart
can’t stop or they won’t ever start
see how fast they fall apart
they'll always be the finest art
make sure no one has a head start
don't you dare call me a sweetheart
everything's state of the art
i'll never manage to restart
what always seems to outsmart
but your electronics, they're so ****
they don't ever need to act more smart.

these rumors, they have big teeth
they're not afraid to bite
they hide their truth beneath
what you see at first sight.

thirteen chimes
out of time
hint of lime
twisted rhyme
last of nine