Lucy Ton That ’26
Shame—was born at 9:48 am on September
22nd, 2022, in a dusty classroom on York
Street full of Viet kids who can’t speak their
own language. Shame was born at the same
moment that language died a confused death
in Lucy Ton That’s mouth, strangled by her
noose of a tongue. Learning language is like
becoming a child again, learning how to say
“mama” and how to count from 1-10. My
child’s world is only “mama” and the
numbers between “1” and “10”. Shame, the
waxy, vining plant, winds itself around my
ankles so I can’t stomp it out.
