My grandmother painted this
My eyes are watching this
Through this, I am walking
Siem Reap slows down into an 80s Taiwanese memory
Something reminds me of her as I walk past every alley
A living carousel of my ancestry
A small boy sits in the doorway
Upon a green plastic chair
Nursing a cat in his arms like a new mama holds her baby.
Perfectly happy just sitting there
Nowhere to go, nothing to be
Simply a boy, nuzzling a cat
The road is bordered with red clay dirt
I want to grab a handful for my art
“Keep this color in mind” I say to myself
A man drives past me, asks automatically,
“Tuk Tuk?”
I kindly shake my head “No thank you”
I keep walking
A boxy storefront with a single empty barbers chair and artifacts of hair clippings on the ground
Seemingly everyone vanished mid haircut
No barber. No customer. Just space
“I must capture this with my phone,” I whisper to myself,
I pause... I refuse to pull my phone out
“Tuk Tuk?”
I kindly shake my head, “No thank you”
I keep walking
A laundry shop with two little girls pretending to manage paperwork and customers
Like miniature adults, rushing to grow up, going so fast
I turn my head, one girl glances over, already smiling, as if she knew I’d been stumped
My heart fills and I keep walking
A Facebook “ding” comes from the device,
I resist and keep walking
And then I see my grandmother
A greasy apron around her waist from cooking breakfast, she walks down an alley,
A bouquet of morning glory cradled in her arms to prepare for lunch
I wish I could walk beside her, and hold her hand,
The way she would let me,
Slightly limping, she keeps walking
“Tuk Tuk?”
I kindly shake my head, “No thank you”
I keep walking
An entry into a local school is to my right
I look in and see a courtyard of trees
The kind my grandmother painted with her watercolors
Leaves on red coral fire with lagoon green tips
I take another note, “I must paint this memory”
My grandmother painted this
My eyes are watching this
My heart is feeling this
I keep walking
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Ann Liu is the creator of Anahata Studio, a playful space for art, story and online experiences to open the heart. Topics on personal growth, intimacy, authentic communication, and creativity are covered in her work. Ann creates a guided space for people to go deeper within, to discover more about themselves and their relationships through written word, painted paper and connection activities. Ann weaves story and art together, reflecting on how we can fully experience our vulnerability and strengths in the world as acts of social change, service and love.
Connect with her at
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