Illustration by Anderson X. Lee
I trace my grandfather’s hands across the atlas he never owned, each river a scar, each ridge a
fist.
He speaks in gestures I barely know: the curl of a finger, tilt of a palm; words swallowed by
borders, erased in histories no one keeps.
The ocean between us is a library of silence, paper boats aflame with names forgotten before
spoken.
I follow the constellation of his scars, step by step, to a village that never listens, where myth
rises like smoke, burning along walls of memory.
I plant my hand beside his, and the stars answer: home is not a place. Home is fury pressed into
hands, smoldering when the world forgets.
David Anson Lee is a Chinese American poet and physician whose work explores cultural memory, diaspora, and identity through the lens of emotion and social awareness. Drawing from ancestral histories, myth, and contemporary Asian Canadian experiences, his poetry illuminates stories of injustice, resilience, and the complexities of belonging. Published in multiple literary journals, David seeks to amplify nuanced Asian voices in North America, creating lyrical, emotionally charged work that bridges heritage, contemporary life, and the tension between invisibility and recognition.