Little girl, you cut your hair!
Your curls, now short, stand out everywhere.
The blonde shows through the sea of black
and to some, gives a heart attack.
They see your face and think, “oh dear!
A foreigner, she’ll speak English here.”
But little do they know that I know
that they’re only nervous to speak to me in another language.
Little girl, your face is cute!
Your small blue eyes, nose, and lips too.
We saw your face on a model last week,
And think you too, could be famous as we speak.
Our face, our lips, our eyes, our nose,
All match the people around us, and it shows
That we’re all Thai, and you are not.
What are you doing in this land of people who don’t look like you?
Little girl, your skin is so pale,
How do you maintain it, white like a veil?
Your arm hair, too, is blonde and thin,
First glance doesn’t care what’s within
because your skin says all we need to know
About your job, your family, your highs, your lows.
Here, you wear your life on your face.
The darker the color, the worse the fate.
Little girl, so tall and thin!
Your slender frame fits right in
to our beauty standards, our crowded streets.
The places you have to squeeze through in the heat.
We’re on a diet, are you on one too?
But the reason I’m so thin now is not control of food, but
poisoning, infections, and sicknesses that
Kept me in bed for days, and didn’t make me fat but sucked the life from me that I’m trying to get back.
Little girl, you haven’t seen much of life.
Your age keeps you distant from our problems and strife.
We see your face and your hair and your clothes
and from just a first glance, we rightfully suppose
that most like you don’t take the time
to learn our passions, our language, our strife,
But you’re a cute face in the middle of this mess
So we do our best to make you our pet and take a rest from the harsh world we face outside.
Little girl, so innocent and young!
We’ll cover your ears, you shouldn’t hear this one.
Let us make you a learner, and someone to teach.
I’m sure you don’t get it, how could you? This isn’t for the weak.
But little girl, can you sit with me?
I’m far from my home, my people, my country.
I want to share about my life, and you’re here to listen.
A kind face. Not many of those around here these days.
Little girl, you don’t look your age.
You seem much, much younger, just looking at your face.
We see you and immediately come to decide
that you're just a kid; might not be worth our time.
We find the box in our mind to put you in
and are surprised when what you say doesn’t fit.
We perceive you just like we perceive each other:
First impressions count, and the way you look matters, even the things you can't change.
Little girl, we have a new name for you!
“Little foreigner.” Yes, like “little girl” won’t do.
Little foreigner, so cute and young.
But wait, can you help me? Just this once.
This man from the bar sent me a note.
Help me figure out what my customer wrote.
You know my language, and his language too.
In this moment, you’re not just a girl, but a translator too.
Little girl, help us with another thing.
We had a dream last night and we know what it means
In our language, but the other foreigners do not.
Can you help them understand it on the spot?
You interpret the words, but also the meaning
Of a dream so deep, a warning strong yet fleeting
Of the spiritual realm; demons, souls, and protections
A war beyond these doors that most can’t see but that we fight every day. Little girl, can you translate that?
Little girl, you’re so good at that!
Making others smile and play and laugh.
You seem to just get it - what the others find hard.
How to find joy in pain and loveliness in shards.
But it must just be the age of your mind
You can still have fun at this stage and this time.
The things that you’ve learned through blood, sweat, and tears-
Well, of course you know them now. They’re nothing to brag about because you’re still a little girl.
But little girl, you ask such good questions.
All the things you don’t know just push you to test us.
You’ve made yourself learn; now, you have the power to teach
Not from your age or position or validation you seek
But from humbly lowering yourself to find the truth
Your mind is curious, and you’ve used your youth
To find answers to big questions that others are afraid to ask.
The more you find answers, the more questions you realize you have.
Little girl, little foreigner, sister, teacher, and friend.
All the names I’ve adopted from places I’ve been.
Some ask, how can this be a place for you to thrive?
But I’m stronger on the inside than I seem from outside.
For a time, I looked down on myself
For being so young. What can I do to help?
At first just a young face, but I’ve grown into more than that.
At first just a foreigner; now, I’ve worn many hats.
We can learn from each other; not just young from the old.
We all want what we don’t have; the shy to be bold.
the pale to be tan, the short to be tall.
The weak to be strong; some people want it all.
Some say our worth comes from age, color, and stuff,
but the way that God made us is always enough.
God liked what he made when he created you;
He was pleased with his creation; now, he hopes that you like you, too.