RICKSHAW GIRL and a Mother's Day Tribute

I recently received a poem from a reader of my book Rickshaw Girl who said that the main character in the story, Naima, reminded her of her mother. I asked for permission to post it on my blog in honor of Mother's Day, and here it is:

Naima
by Katherine Nguyen

With your long black hair

Fingers like a brush

You draw an alpina

The work of an artist

Young and free

In a world so narrow           

You fly like the wind

Pave the way to a new tomorrow

Your hopes and dreams

Are like blue skies and rainbows

Colorful, pure, and hopeful

Painting the world, one stroke at a time

With your hair tucked in

The façade of a boy, inside truly a girl

You embody a woman

Strong, independent, beautiful

Unsure of your success

Remembering your mother’s bracelet

You hold onto that memory

Cannot let go, will not forego

Life without a family

A vision you cannot see

Determined for a better tomorrow

Change and you will be free

Withstanding all stereotypes

Going off into the unknown

You face the bleakness of reality

Standing up for your rights on a road so narrow

With a smile on your face

Eyes bright as the sun

You win the heart of the Rickshaw owner

A new life you have earned

Amidst adversity

Up against a mountain of challenges

You rise so high

Took a chance, broke all the barriers

Lessons learned

Climb that mountain, however so high

You’ll never know unless you try

Love and perseverance is all it takes

Impossible it may seem

To risk it all for just a twinkle of hope

You, Naima, are the vision for us to follow

The face of a child, the ambition of a woman, the future of a society

Here's what Katherine has to say about her mother:

My mother, like my grandmother, is a very strong and determined woman. As a child growing up in a family with very little means, she went out to work with all the men in the village, doing whatever they did, trying things that no other girl would try, getting down and dirty to make money to help support her family. 

It was a hard life, trying to set up her own business at a time when the war was going on and girls had no place out of the home. She overcame it all, the obstacles, the stereotypes, the name calling, and became the woman she wanted to be. 

She escaped Vietnam and came to the U.S. because she knew only here would she be able to live the life she always dreamed of and give back to her family so they, too, could overcome all the oppression. It was her way to end her suffering, and she did. 

My mother has done the impossible, with two bare hands, raising two daughters on her own and achieving the American dream.

Happy Mother's Day to Katherine's Mom, mine, and all the mothers on the planet who take courageous risks and make costly sacrifices for our sakes.