Trace Your Name

Everett, my mother’s seven-letter birthplace.

Comforting her in birth, and hopefully her passing.

Kam, my middle name, my mother’s last name.

My grandparents wielded that name when they immigrated 

From Hong Kong. My grandparents, 外婆，外公, compassion 

And culture not mashed, but mixed together like the red and blue on barber poles.

Although I never write my middle name, the bustling markets and Cantonese are nestled within me.

I hope to visit what should feel like home.

Woo, my ending. The last thing I write on a test. My father’s Korean heritage I know I should learn more about. He is an only child and the pressure of the name weighs heavier with each passing year.

Everett Woo