Inside Out and Back Again (9 page)

becomes head chef,

heating up cans of

beef and potatoes

tasting like salty vomit.

We eat only

canned fruit

in thick syrup,

and everyone wants extras

but we get only a cup.

Brother V
somehow

brings home

a huge can,

pumping it to work out

his arm muscles.

We eat

straight from the can

as I search for

cherries and grapes.

May 28

A routine starts

as soon as we settle

into our tent.

Camp workers

teach us English

mornings and afternoons.

Evenings we have to ourselves.

We watch movies outdoors

with images projected

onto a white sheet.

Brother Quang translates

into a microphone,

his voice sad and slow.

If it’s a young cowboy

like Clint Eastwood,

everyone cheers.

If it’s an old cowboy,

like John Wayne,

most of us boo

and go swimming.

The Disney cartoons

lure out the girls,

who always surround

Brother V
,

begging him to break

yet another piece of wood.

I can still hear them begging

when I go sit with Brother Khôi,

who rarely speaks anymore

but I’m happy to be near him.

June to early July

N
c M
m

Someone

should be kissed

for having the heart

to send cases of fish sauce

to Guam.

Everything is

more edible

with
n
c m
m.

Brother V

sautés the beef-and-potato goo

with onions

and sprinkles on the magic sauce

before serving the mess with rice.

Lines extend to the beach.

Someone catches

a sea creature

puffy and watery

like a cucumber.

Brother V
slices it

into slippery strips

and stews it with

seaweed

and the magic sauce.

So many appetites

wake up

that Brother V

just has time

to cook rice

and serve it with

plain fish sauce.

People begin to cook

as long as they

can get a cup

of
n
c m
m.