Letters to Her Daughters: Dear Kimberly, (1962)

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My adopted brothers split wealth, told me

my hands were never big enough,

arms not strong enough to hold

my own fortune. So during Chuseok

I dressed you in baji to fool

the spirits. Prayed for boys bringing coin

silver and slender as the waning

moon. Most nights I don’t dream

of their half-drawn faces, don’t lament

the old world we left behind. But I want

your name golden, you beyond

every man’s reach, I want blood

to matter. I want America to be

the promise that finally came through.