This is not my usual adoptee content, but this is what has been on my heart lately. I wrote this poem for the Burlington Public Library's Open Mic event. I do not know how to hold space for both my whimsy and rage. Sometimes it feels like my emotions are trapped in this body like a cage. They each want somewhere to go, where they can be free and expand. But both are competing for the runway to take off and land. There is so much to be angry about and yet still so much joy. So

This Lunar New Year was very special because I celebrated it in a way that felt authentic to me. I attended some festivities with my...