Colorful Hmong Peace Poem by Kimberly Burnham

Recently a written language again
"kev sib haum xeeb" or "kev tiaj tus"
or "kev thajyeeb nyab xeeb"
is peace in Hmong
sometimes it takes a long word
sometimes a lot of words
to call peace into reality

Thaaj yeeb peace in the Green
or Blue Miao dialect of Hmong
pronounced "tahng ying"
one letter different in white
"thaj yeeb" orally said "tah ying"
or "kev sib haum Zeeb" is peace
sometimes spelled "kev siab tus"
in the White Miao dialect of Hmong
or Hmong Daw at times
"nyob kaj siab lug" is used
peace in the white dialet

A Hmong folktale says
Hmong used to have a written language
important information written down
in a treasured book
the tale explains
cows and rats ate the book
the Hmong language exclusively oral
from that point onwards

Imagine if a cow or a rat ate your only book
what words would you teach your children
with no way to check
the truth of your words
would you make up words and meanings