I am a Hmong boy who lives to eat rice.
I wonder how much rice can feed the world.
I hear the sound of Mama packing the rice from the “vab”
I see the steam from the freshly cooked rice that makes my mouth water.
I want to help mother in the rice fields in mid-November
I am a Hmong boy who loves to eat rice.
I pretend to be the snake found in the rice patties.
I touch the grains of rice as they fall from Mother’s hands.
I cry when Mother is working so hard.
I am a Hmong boy who loves to eat rice.
I understand that working is painful labor
I say everyone should eat rice.
I dream about eating rice with a steak on a hot summer day.
I try to be the best Hmong boy.
I hope someday to see a sumo wrestler in Japan.
I am a Hmong boy who loves to eat rice.
Photo courtesy Justmakeit/Flickr Creative Commons. Visit Justmakeit’s photostream on Flickr.