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By Chong Yang ● 2022

Cia lub ntiaj teb los ua koj lub vaj
Tus njuj neeg yog ib lub paj, xim twg los zoo
Txoj kev tsaus ntuj yuav tsis kav
Ib pliag xwb, cia nws dhau
Es lub paj mam nthuav

Translation from Hmong:

Let this world be your garden
Each person a flower, lovely in every hue
Darkness descends, but not for long
It is a season, so let it pass
And the peony opens

Winner – 2021 Sidewalk Poetry Contest

Chong Yang was born to Hmong farmers and artists in Luang Prabang, Laos. Her family immigrated to Saint Paul in 1980, where she lived with her mom, Bai Vang, and siblings Yeng and Koua. Chong received her master’s from the University of Minnesota College of Education and teaches high school English language arts in Saint Paul, where she lives. Chong has three wonderful daughters, Phaa-Der, Asha, and Kaia.

Posted in: Poetry