I want to walk through a bustling night market, smell the fried dumplings being cooked in a giant wok and watch the children run to their mothers. I wish that I understood what my sisters were saying, I wish I could join in their conversations. I miss the things that I never had. I imagine the world that I am a part of, but I have never lived in. I am nostalgic for a past that I have never experienced. I want to feel the words of my native tongue slip freely from my mouth, flowing easily and without thought. I want to hear stories from my grandmothers, the ancient little women with as many stories as lines on their faces. I want to play with my little brother and watch him grow up. I miss the things that I've never had. I am silenced by my own alienation, unable to join in with the lives that my family leads, yet close enough to want to. A dynasty of history contained within one family, and I am a broken branch of the family tree.