Poetry By Dennis Tran

I wore the mask, every day, every hour,

Not a costume of choice, but a shield of power.

In a world where silence is strength, where showing pain is shame,

I hid my struggles behind a name—a name not fully mine to claim.

Vietnamese blood runs deep in my veins,

Tangled with traditions, expectations, and pain.

“Strong men don’t falter, don’t cry, don’t bend,”

But what happens when the mask won’t mend?

Glaucoma stole the sight in my left eye,

The right barely holding, just scraping by.

But blindness is a spectrum they fail to see,

I lived in the shadows of what they expect me to be.

The drops burned like judgment in a school hallway,

Peers whispering, staring, "What’s wrong with him today?"

Social anxiety wrapped me tight,

A fear of losing friends in the public’s light.

And then came another name: Autistic. ADHD.

Words I didn’t know I needed to set me free.

Years of feeling “wrong,” “off,” “not enough,”

Now had a language, though the journey stayed tough.

In my family, disabilities weren’t stories we shared,

They were curses, burdens, things to be spared.

Intergenerational trauma added to the weight,

A silent grief passed down, sealed in fate.

But masks crack, and masks fall,

The pressure builds until you risk it all.

And when I saw Christine Ha, blind and bright,

Her story gave me a different sight.

She stood there, cooking with purpose and grace,

Showing the world that disability isn’t a disgrace.

Her story reminded me of the power in mine,

That our voices are bridges, spanning space and time.

Now I write, I speak, I tell stories untold,

Of unmasking struggles and breaking the mold.

As a mentor, a guide, a light in the haze,

I empower neurodivergent lives in meaningful ways.

Through workshops and words, I help others see,

Their worth, their potential, their ability to be.

I challenge workplaces, communities, and norms,

To create spaces where every mind transforms.

I am more than my labels, my sight, or my pain,

I am the storyteller of what we all can gain.

Low vision, neurodivergent, fully free,

My journey empowers not just me but all who dream to be.

This is my story, my fight, my stand,

To build a world where we all lend a hand.

A world where difference isn’t met with despair,

But embraced with kindness, inclusion, and care.