ode to red string

red string, hoong sin*,
winds around pink dim sum 
boxes
stuffed with cha siu bao,
gai dan go, hah gow, siu mai*
and more

red string, hoong sin*,
binds hearts of family 
and community
we, whose ancestors 
braved the Tai Ping Yeong*,
the Pacific Ocean
to settle in Fah Kee Gwok**
land of the flowery flag,
where streets were not
paved with gold

red string, hoong sin*, 
strong yet threadlike,
a legacy of moons-ago times,
still wraps our supple hearts
that beat in cadence 
of breathing
red string, hoong sin*,
tied with a knot

FLO OY WONG
May 4, 2024
May 5, 2024

In this poem, I use both * Cantonese* and **Hoisan-wa, my ancestral dialect.
The pink dim sum boxes are a reference to the boxes used in Oakland Chinatown dim sum take out stores.