The Song Poet: A Memoir of My Father

Kalia returns to her father’s memories in this track, noting that her “father knows many things about leaving and being left behind” (202). She describes her father and his family’s flight from their village in hopes of avoiding the Communist soldiers who raided the Hmong villages.

Bee considered refusing to leave and telling the soldiers that he “will die where [his] father died” (205). Ultimately, however, he realizes he cannot do that to his mother and flees along with the rest of the family. In addition to his village, Bee leaves behind family pets when he leaves the refugee camp.

Bee withstands the pain of these leavings, but not when he is the one left behind. When Bee’s mother dies, Bee is devastated. Kalia notes, that her “father had grown so used to leaving that he was not prepared for Grandma’s departure, despite the fact that [they] all saw it coming” (215).

When Kalia’s grandmother died, Kalia is young, and is not as affected as are her parents and her aunts and uncles. Kalia reminisces about the stories her grandmother had shared with her. Unlike her other relatives, Kalia’s grandmother didn’t talk about the war, but told stories of before the war.