mother of pearl

When you open your mouth

all I hear is a crash

of bowling pins, washed

mahjong tiles, her voice

in your ear.

I’ve tried silence,

giving you not one, but two

cold shoulders.

Still you are seduced

by smoke, Jack, chasing

her glass.

Tomorrow, I will wear my face,

mother you—our fifth child.

But, now, your car clicks cold,

the first rooster crows,

I cannot sleep.

Shrill is the only tone

you hear. Together,

we wake every soul

in your home, family, money—

it’s all yours.

I dress in pearls—grains of sand

rolled round a mouth prised open—

you bought me. My prince

sleeps soundly in the bed

I made.

Tricia Lim Castro (she & they) is a storyteller, dancer, and leader in arts education. Presently, Tricia is a third-year undergraduate student at USC pursuing a Narrative Studies B.A. with minors in Dance, Spanish, and Natural Science. She is also a Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellow, co-director of Troy Philippines’ 2022-23 Pilipinx American Culture Events, and the Club Annex Captain of Break On 2 Latin Dance Fusion Team. Their work has been featured in Nobody Knows: Voices Unmuted at the Grammy Museum and Interstitial. Tricia is grateful for the support of their friends and family near and far—her stories are for them and all the other balikbayans out there, finding their way back home.

You can visit Tricia’s Linktree here.