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Courtesy of Terri Trang Lê
Textures of my Father is about the fabric of my family, who are depicted behind the man who gave so much, endured so much, and triumphed to stay alive. Like a quilt, the snippets of our lives over the years serve as tangible, textured patches to reflect my story, my father’s story, and our family’s story. Growing up, my parents shared fragmented memories about Vietnam, how they were raised and survived, why they left, and why they’ll never move back. With every tale, I pieced together their history to better understand my culture, heritage, and all the inherited trauma that I’ve been working to overcome. As a Vietnamese-American, I love and embrace both parts of my identity and know that who I am today is only possible because of my parents and all that they’ve conquered after leaving their homeland.
In fainted words, I wrote a poem of my father's tale that is overlayed in his portrait. It reads:
A silent hero,
a family man.
My father, Muu,
is never perfect
but never wrong.
Bến Tre country boy
turned Mỹ Tho city man.
Tiếng pháp, bánh mì, and cà phê
All perks of an admin army officer
under the yellow flag and three red stripes.
Until the fall, he had to flee.
12 in one fishing boat,
Navigating the chaos in days.
At nights, nearly dying at sea.
Until a US Navy ship arrived.
From Japan to DC,
A new home was found.
His children safely sound.
He made a new life
with a new wife, my mom.
Three new kids,
Two brothers, and me.
Growing older,
growing wiser
His legacy will live on.