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SATURDAY POETRY
Why Do You Hate Us?
A Lament of Asian Hate Crime for AAPI Heritage Month
O Spirit, usher me into the fold of lament so that I may grieve and still know that You are near.
Normally, I use this space to usher you into a space of quiet and understanding, but I’ve been struggling with grief (on different layers), so this is my way of being real and honest with my readers.
My friend, Darcy Hansen, teaches a class at Portland Seminary about the spiritual formation of grief and loss. She told me that she reads a poem at the beginning and end of every class.
With the recent shootings in Dallas, TX that are pinpointed as #AsianHateCrime, and on the heels of the anniversary of the eight people who were shot and killed in Atlanta, GA, she wondered if I had written a poem or would be interested in writing one. This is how wonderful Darcy is. She said, “No pressure if it feels too raw or tender to do so.”
My response: The best time to write is when you are completely undone and your feelings are raw, tender, emotional, and screaming from your pores. And, besides, one of the best ways to enter into lament is to pour out your soul into the Light.
So, I sat and wrote the poem above.
