I am the Apsara’s daughter

for Soriya

I wander in her forest
hearing ankle bells jingle with each step,
the universe at her feet and hands. 
I want to touch her.
She flies in my house in paintings
with petals of orange blossom raining from the ceiling.
With her bas-relief tattooed on my skin 
I worry I’ve offended the deity.
In my dreams I cry out to her, 
                        នាងខ្ញុំ
                        កូនស្រី
                        របស់ព្រះអង្គ ។

I am still learning
as I copy myself in her image.
To she who abides in the sea of milk—
I try to churn my own from motherhood.
I hope it worthy an offering for this nymph of clouds and sky.

Credit

Copyright © 2021 by Sokunthary Svay. Originally published in Poem-a-Day on March 24, 2021, by the Academy of American Poets.

About this Poem

“I recently lost my desire to write poetry. But one morning my daughter was doing her virtual English class next to me on our porch, just before the weather became chilly. The students were beginning their poetry segment and their in-class exercise was an ‘I Am’ poem. I decided to give it a try, and thus wrote the very first draft of this poem alongside my daughter.”
—Sokunthary Svay