Afterward, I woke
into the red dark
to write
gia đình
on this yellow pad

Looking through the letters
I can see
into the earth
below, the blue blur
of bones.

Quickly--
I drill the ink
into a period.
The deepest hole,
where the bullet,

after piercing
my father's back,
has come
to rest.
Quickly--I climb

inside.
I enter
my life
the way words
entered me--
by falling
through
the silence
of this wide
open mouth.