Khmer Alphabet
Not a language I loved at first like French: seductive
murmurs, coy tilt of the head, dusk
in a dusty patisserie; Khmer is harsh:
midday sun on Sihanouk Boulevard
palms swaying in impossible heat, slanting shadows
of colonial edifices, pristine relics of splendored desire.
Sanskrit looks like prayer, embers and incense, hot instant noodles,
mudras, corporate logos—alien and familiar, home and
faraway. I want you to say you love me in Khmer,
I want to speak it like my mother
tongue (father logos), I want to French kiss you head on,
palm to palm, heat to heat, I want
to forget it takes a lifetime to learn.
VIET LE is an artist, creative writer, and curator. He has received fellowships from the Civitella Ranieri Foundation, Fulbright-Hays, William Joiner Center, Fine Arts Work Center, and PEN Center USA. His work has been featured in Fuse, Crab Orchard Review, Amerasia Journal, corpus; Flaunt and Nhà, among others. Lê’s artwork has been exhibited in Korea, Canada, Italy, the United States, and Vietnam. Lê received his MFA from the University of California, Irvine where he has taught Studio Art and Visual Culture courses. A doctoral candidate at the University of Southern California, he is currently based in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. vietle.net
Not a language I loved at first like French: seductive
murmurs, coy tilt of the head, dusk
in a dusty patisserie; Khmer is harsh:
midday sun on Sihanouk Boulevard
palms swaying in impossible heat, slanting shadows
of colonial edifices, pristine relics of splendored desire.
Sanskrit looks like prayer, embers and incense, hot instant noodles,
mudras, corporate logos—alien and familiar, home and
faraway. I want you to say you love me in Khmer,
I want to speak it like my mother
tongue (father logos), I want to French kiss you head on,
palm to palm, heat to heat, I want
to forget it takes a lifetime to learn.
VIET LE is an artist, creative writer, and curator. He has received fellowships from the Civitella Ranieri Foundation, Fulbright-Hays, William Joiner Center, Fine Arts Work Center, and PEN Center USA. His work has been featured in Fuse, Crab Orchard Review, Amerasia Journal, corpus; Flaunt and Nhà, among others. Lê’s artwork has been exhibited in Korea, Canada, Italy, the United States, and Vietnam. Lê received his MFA from the University of California, Irvine where he has taught Studio Art and Visual Culture courses. A doctoral candidate at the University of Southern California, he is currently based in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. vietle.net
