I Fear I Look Too Much Like My Mother 

I fear I look too much like my mother–  
hair too black, bones too fragile 
a face that chillingly resembles 
the woman on TV with bloodstained temples 
her face unrecognizable after the attack 
a face half hidden behind a paper-thin mask 
to assure them that we mean no harm 
(in case you don’t notice we are unarmed) 

                    I fear I look nothing like my mother– 
                    eyes too round, nose too pointed 
                    a face that only vaguely resembles 
                    the women of Da Nang in their family temples 
                    a city unrecognizable after the attacks 
                    a horror half hidden behind history’s mask
                    to assure us that they meant no harm 
                    (in case you didn’t notice, we were unarmed)