The Day I Learned to Speak My Grandmother's Tongue, Pacyinz Lyfoung, 1999

The day I learned to speak my grandmother’s tongue
An Eastern wind shifted the earth
While the western walls were whisked away…
And the mountains of Laos rose on the horizon,
Roaring with the sound of river dragons
Splashing rainbow tail waves
Across oceans of opium poppies
Just awakened from their slumber
By the baby chick with no feathers
Hiding under the house board floor
Waiting to teach the next generation
That to live, means to save the most vulnerable.

The day I learned to speak my grandmother’s tongue
I tied my own tongue upon the eight tones
Of the Hmong language
Stumbling upon words like a baby, like it should be
Restoring back the balance between the ages
As I freed my grandmother’s voice
To rise clearly, to rise wisely
Mighty like the elders’ powers should be.

And my fears faded away, like the black spots on her skin
Revealed for their true glory, as battle scars
From a life lived completely
And I found the ultimate truth
That I will not escape my nature
That I am a rock from the old mountain
A strong Hmong woman
Carved from another strong Hmong woman

River Lines, Pacyinz Lyfoung, 2001

River Lines, Pacyinz Lyfoung, 2001


There are lines are that drawn
Dividing one side and another
Different pages…
Different boundaries…
Different ideologies…
Although, except for the line
Right could be left
Up could be down
Depending on where is one’s ground


There are rivers that rise
Creating different banks…
Different shores…
Different landings…
Although, except for the river
The trees still look the same
On either side…
And that country
That would have been my country
Is now the foreign shore
Upon which my footsteps
Can never land

There are events that turn
Children into grown-ups
Friends into foes
Lovers into strangers
Farmers into soldiers
Natives into aliens
Refugees into Americans
Although, who we used to be
Is not too far from
Who we still are

MN Women Poets' Anthology Kick-off, 2-3-07

This was an amazing event: women from 91 to 30 something, from all ethnic backgrounds, who live/lived in MN, all speaking with the same spirit and remembering the same landscape of what it means to be a MN Woman Poet!!! There was fun, there was sadness, there was activism, there was beauty: all those things big and small that live within MN women's hearts and memories. Listening to them, even being French-born and coming from Hmong ancestry: I could totally hear the voices of my foremothers. Thank you MN for making me that kind of strong and witty woman who understands the language of water, ice and community!

the day before the big day--my reading tomorrow!

I am excited about tomorrow's reading! (Loft, 7 pm, Friday, 1-26-07)
Worked hard, the support and good wishes of so many people (I am blessed!)
This morning, the sun is so bright: a good omen!

bilingual poetry

Almost forgot!

Of course, thanks to my French-born roots and French-Hmong relatives, I have been writing bilingual poems, so everyone could understand!

Here is the poem written for my youngest sister's wedding, Dec. 27, 2006, at the Chateau de Conde:

Quand tu as besoin d’une aile
Pour te proteger du vent
Pour t’emporter vers the firmanent
Pour t’envoler vers tes reves

When you need a wing
To shield you from the wind
To take you to the end of the universe
To fly towards your dreams

Quand tu as besoin d’une etoile
Pour illuminer tes nuits
Pour retrouver ton chemin
Pour realiser tes souhaits

When you need a star
To illuminate your nights
To guide you back home
To make your wishes come true

Quand tu as besoin d’ un coeur
Pour battre contre le tien
Pour verser une larme avec le tien
Pour s’emerveiller de la beaute de la vie avec le tien

When you need a heart
To beat against yours
To shed a tear with yours
To marvel at the beauty of life with yours

Voila pourquoi j’existe
Pour partager ton destin

This why I exist
To share your destiny

What have you done for poetry lately?

Thanks to my friend, Bryan, I have picked up the challenge of trying to be more visible as a poet in the past few months. Here would be some of the actions taken:
- became a Mad Poet, see www.madpoetry.org/madpoets/lyfoungp.html

- joined the Asian American Poetry web site, see http://www.asianamericanpoetry.com/spotlight_poem_display2.php?poem=Pacyinz_Lyfoungt8cgqex6z1

-performed at the first monthly Camden Cafe Artistic Nights, in Nov. and Dec. 2006

-got published in To Sing Along The Way: MN Women Poets from Pre-Territorial Days to Present (wait, that was two years ago, but just came out!)

- and of course, started this blog!

And the best is yet to come! :)

Upcoming Reading-- Parallax

Hmong and Lao Writers Un-Named Reading Series
at The Loft, in Minneapolis
on Friday, January 26, 2007
at 7:30 pm