Poetry

Coming Full Circle

Daniela Paraguya Sow

Imagine the magic a circle holds, its infinite points—dotted or passing
through. Imagine my Tagalog and accent erased, so that I could pass.

I uncovered my mother’s dictionaries in the towel cabinet, her scribbles:
proof of definition and memorization. Perfecting English helped her pass.

For the sixth-grade spelling bee, I studied intensely, circling only unfamiliar
words, burning them into my brain. My mother, orbiting me. And I passed.

Imagine the power of a trophy or a medal, to a child, the rounded
glory beaming from the walls. My wild and free daughter, wanting to pass.

Is she yours? people say to me. Is that your mom? children ask her, studying
her coils and caramel skin. From my womb, you grew. Through my body, you passed.

My anxiety rises like a rocket flare, brief but real, being in a fully
Filipino space. Even in a white space. Oh, but you’ll be fine. You pass.

Pass me courage, make us all balls of limitless love and identity.
Here is the open field. Pull back, do a double roulette, and pass.

Have we come full circle? Are we still fishing out words and phrases
from the stream, afraid to awake the sleeping eye and ashamed of the past?

There is a description for identity confusion, this lostness:
Ang Pilipinong nawawala sa sarili. To not always belong or pass.

This poem—a loose ghazal—echoes concepts and Tagalog phrases from Leny Mendoza Strobel’s book Coming Full Circle: The Process of Decolonization Among Post-1965 Filipino Americans (2nd edition). The “sleeping eye” references page 6 where Strobel discusses the Filipino American community’s “identity crisis,” traditional Filipino values versus modern American values,” and the “invisible minority and the sleeping giant.” The loss of language guilt and shame is further contextualized on page 130 (“Why didn’t you maintain the language? Why didn’t you teach me?”).

Daniela Paraguya Sow was born in New York City, New York, and she was raised in Angeles City, Philippines, and in various cities in Southern California. She and her family currently live in San Diego, where she serves as faculty in the English Department at Grossmont College. Her writing has appeared in Mixed Asian Media, The Plentitudes Journal, The Hyacinth Review, The Lumiere Review, Sky Island Journal, Porch Literary Magazine, and elsewhere. Her debut poetry collection, entitled Half Moon Rising, will be published by Kelsay Books in June 2024. Connect with her at danielasow.com.