By Lay Lon

The author Lay Lon is pictured sitting cross-legged on green grass wearing tinted glasses and saffron robes. He is reading from a sheet of paper with the temple complex Angkor Wat in the background.

Abstract

As a former farmer and monastic boy from a poor and small country, Cambodia, I am happy and honored to graduate from a U.S. university. At the same time, I am so upset to see my family, villagers, and many people in the motherland suffer from political corruption and the abuse of alcohol and drugs. Some parents come to me and express how they feel as parents of people struggling with drug addiction.

I have started writing poems since my hometown's two-month visit in 2020. I see alcohol advertisements, corruption, drugs, and deforestation as the biggest concerns, and they have become my topics.

Writing is hard for me, but I love it. I do not earn from writing now. In contrast, I spend to write. A writer needs to travel to write well. Traveling is essential for me. A two month visit to my motherland has been a recent source of my favorite songs and poems.

“My Society” is my first work of poetry published in CANAL. I am happy that CANAL accepted this poem about my poor country Cambodia in general and in my village in particular, where drugs and alcohol attacked my villagers and family. I hope that it can connect with a universal audience.

My journal is the poetry’s primary source. Two weeks before I submitted the poetry to CANAL on February 10, 2023, I visited my birthplace and revised it there. My trip helped me to verify and fact-check the work.

I wrote this poem with pain. The pain inspires me to compete in this project. My pain is seeing my villagers, including my brother, become victims of drug use, and alcohol advertisements create countless problems, especially among the youth. Traveling across the place where the girl was raped and killed told me I must finish and publish the poem. Talking to the victims’ relatives inspired me to keep writing for publication.

Biographical Statement - Lay Lon

I am Lay Lon. I have been a secretary at Wat Khmer Samaki Santikaram, a non-profit Cambodian Buddhist organization in North Chelmsford, Massachusetts since January 2019. I started at University of Massachusetts Lowell (UMass Lowell) in the fall of 2019. I graduated with a BA in English on February 1, 2023. My concentration was in journalism and professional writing. Four years of staying in Massachusetts has been an unforgettable life experience. I have learned every day and everywhere. I thank the organization that has sponsored me to come to the United States. I am grateful for the U.S. government, the federal funds of Massachusetts, and all donors who were a part of my Federal Student Aid. I would like to thank all professors, writing tutors, and advisers who supported me at UMass Lowell. I have always thanked my writing tutor, Jenifer Frank, who constantly inspired me to publish my work and taught me how to write more effectively. I am grateful to the editorial team from the Connector, the Offering, and CANAL, who have spent time reviewing my work. I have learned a lot from that feedback.

In the future, I want to work as a writer who releases songs and publishes poems. I also plan to pursue a Master's Degree in the art of creative nonfiction.