![An Unsatisfying Show](http://frannieheh.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/IMG_1326-scaled.jpg)
An Unsatisfying Show
When I drag my feet into school,
Where minutes feel like days,
I’m like a show.
Say something in Chinese!
The other kids scream,
With shining eyes,
Like a crowd of excited fans.
你好,
I murmur,
Just trying to fit in
As oohs fill the room.
At lunch,
The show continues.
I bring my 妈妈’s noodles,
Mantou,
and Niubaiye.
The warm steam floats in mid-air,
White and plump,
Filled with vegetables,
And juicy meat,
That 妈妈 woke up at five to make,
Despite the shadows surrounding her eyes.
Yum,
I think,
But before I dig in,
The other kids groan,
Like an unsatisfied audience,
As if my lunch was a skunk.
I quickly seal the lid,
Stuffing my 妈妈’s hard work,
Deep down my lunch box,
Ignore my stomach’s gumbles,
My heavy eyelids holding tears,
And sit in silence,
Until lunch is over.
When they ask,
Why aren’t you eating?
I finished already.
I say,
Just trying to fit in.