The home I loved is no longer

No, it was not war

that bombed the buildings

Nor famine

that made the people hunger

Nor plagues

though there was sickness

We thrived through colonisation

now a type of chill settled, spreading

over years
I don’t know what to believe

between my parents and the media

Everything is fake news

curated by someone

an invisible hand hovering like

a threat or protector

You can’t trust anyone

and it’s best not to talk about it

at yumcha or anywhere

No one can agree on

What happened or

who are the bad guys
I know this

嫲嫲 lives there

with all of my aunts and uncles

and the neon lights still shine in my memories

but it’s getting hard to remember

the good times buried

under all the things

we cannot forget




嫲嫲 [maa4 maa4] = Paternal grandmother