the immigrant's kid has had enough by Nonso Elelleh

my roommate used my plantain for their spinach smoothie 

why can’t i find rice that isn’t microwave in the bag? 

i can speak 3 languages: white american, black american, the mother tongue, and yet i don’t belong with any of them 

sorry that was actually 4 

thrifted red leather vest on a thursday after school 

they said people who thrifted were poor in the early 2000s 

mommy always said we were blessed 

and i am 

vicks vapor rub and the sign of the cross to cure my crippling anxiety 

vicks vapor rub and the sign of the cross to get me into harvard some day

vicks vapor rub and the sign of the cross to make me smart enough to play with my friend again 

her mom stopped letting me come over when i didn’t make honors last trimester 

i cried in the back of my dad’s beemer 

i never saw her again 

i was 8 

nigerian mothers still live in my nightmares 

i am 20 

clumps of relaxed hair in the shower sticking to my legs 

mommy said first impressions are the strongest 

toothpaste foam to cover the gap in my teeth 

i want to look like hannah montana 

the white kids love hannah montana 

mommy said first impressions are the strongest 

hi, my name is nonso, yeah sure: n-o-n-s-o it’s nigerian 

i can speak 2 languages: the immigrant’s failure and the American dream

Nonso Elelleh (she/her) is a Nigerian-American writer and aspiring scientist from the Bay Area, California. She enjoys writing poetry about her experiences with immigration, the internal monologue of being a BIPOC in America, and capturing seemingly mundane moments through a surrealist and dreamscape lens. Her academic interests surround medicine, environmental science, data ethics, and public health. In her free time, she loves to bake focaccia, read, and listen to jazz. She can be found @nahnso. The cover art, a piece by Sarah Wilson called “At One With Nature,” can be found on THE VISUAL.