POEM: Kiran Bhat describes his experiences debating at school and the impossibility of navigating the arbitrary feedback of a racist voice.

POEM: Kiran Bhat reflects on his grappling to learn his ‘mother tongue’ amid discouragement and dislocation.

POEM: Kiran Bhat takes us to a hotel room in 1999, where he and his parents prepare to attend a special event in the US.