Nghiem Nguyen
Medical Student, Kaiser Permanente School of Medicine
While I was away
Learning about Marxism
and critical race theory
My mother
Was working 12 hours a day
7 days a week
Smiling at white hands
In exchange for tips
I write a grant
To screen a documentary
About health conditions
of nail salon workers
at my college
And roll my eyes
When my mother comes home
And tells me to massage her back
When did I learn
To turn my bruises
Into callouses
When did I learn
to cover up relationships
With theory
To cope with the fact
That my mother wears a mask to filter out toxins
And I wear a mask to filter out shame
Nostrum 