yes, omg, ok so this guy comes up to me & / this is the part where you tune out anyway / but then that wasn’t even the end of it because he KEEPS going on about how / five million people died & I wanna be believed / oh, but i shit you not, he looks them dead in the eye & says / don’t you get tired of living / without even knowing anything about us! / fight-hungry & grace-poor? / just walks away!! / “show me the data, prove me wrong.” / anyway, how have you been? / the cost of your doubt / are you sure? / you can’t afford; / well because ever since you started dating, / where nothing is real / well, what about your gardening? / until nothing is left. / oh. okay, i’m sorry to / here— another nothing / no, of course you’re not overthinking it / you won’t accept: / absolutely responded appropriately / two years ago, to save on time, / please tell me? / i started lying to you, / any time. whenever you feel like it / let you win. / you are not being hysterical. / spent all those new hours / look at me / not defending myself / please. / building / i believe you / a church
Born in Saigon & raised in Boston & Houston, Thanh Bui is a writer & actor currently based out of Austin, Texas. Her written work has appeared in The Offing, Lammergeier, Cosmonauts Avenue, diaCRITICS, Glass: A Journal of Poetry, & other places accessible to her mom. She loves constantly.