a tribute to Vietnamese mothers

A piece about the machine-like endurance and work ethic of Vietnamese mothers. More than a reclamation of the line that demeaned and dehumanized Asian women, particularly Vietnamese women, for decades to come… “Mẹ Love You Long Time” is also a look at the rage within.

My parents were never physically or violently abusive, although they both had short fuses that frequently resulted in emotional meltdowns or rageful outbursts. As I grew older, I began to have my own similarly disproportionate reactions to mistakes and imperfections. I began to understand, from having felt my own rage, the significant role physical exhaustion plays in our mental and emotional states, and its consequent manifestations in our bodies as physical symptoms.