More in this series
The Other Mother
Patti never mentioned her own daughter. I realized she was a little broken too, like the rest of us. She had a tender point she hid from us, from me: the enemies.
bun muiNo, ma’am. Yes, ma’amKailangan kong mabuhay.
I am not your enemy
bun mui
please please tell me more
I’m going!
Patti left?
bun mui
We fed herShe lived in our home; we gave her hot water and electricity.
bun muidon’t abandon me don’t abandon me don’t abandon me
Remember you used to love this fruit?
Ysabelle Cheung is a writer and editor based in Hong Kong. She was formerly the managing editor of ArtAsiaPacific magazine, a bimonthly publication covering visual culture from Asia, the Pacific and the Middle East. Her writing can be found in ArtReview, Hyperallergic, the Los Angeles Review of Books and Artforum. Her zine, "Pillow Hands, Heavy Feet," created with artist Eunice Tsang in response to the shifting sociological landscape of Hong Kong, was published in 2019.
Find her on Twitter and Instagram @ysabellecheung.
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Three days, our people had agreed: a real, old-school, ‘Rolling Stone’–style profile.