Down Here

The thick of it,
the strange of it,
the crux of it.

Everything around here
glows red, even the faces
on brick window ledges.

Old women smile and look ahead.

Bubble tea,
drop-tops
and noodle shops,
one on every corner.

The trash bins are full of people looking for work.

The alleyways echo with the clatter of sudsy dishes,
coughing fits and gobs of spit.

Kevin Minh Allen was born Nguyễn Đức Minh on December 5, 1973 near Sài Gòn, Vietnam to a Vietnamese mother and American father who remain unknown to him. He was adopted by a couple from Rochester, NY and grew up in Webster, NY with his two younger sisters. In 2000, he moved to Seattle, WA to pursue a life less ordinary. Kevin has had his poetry published in numerous print and online publications, such as Aileron, Lantern Review, HazMat Literary Review, Chrysanthemum and, most recently, Eye To The Telescope.