Microaggressions create momentary rips in daily routines, reminding one of an Otherness made visible through behavior or appearance, an Otherness which challenges one’s belonging to the given context. This repeating demand, “Why are all you Asian girls dyeing your hair blond?,” provoked a pattern illustration and poetic narrative exploring some of the nuances of my racial identity and its impact on my understanding of family heritage. What does it mean that my grandfather fled Communism to establish a life in New Mexico, only years later to return and bury his brother at their ancestral plot? How do I begin to understand the weight of my cultural heritage when I barely speak enough Chinese to play Mahjong? Through this work, I find moments of tautness and tangles as I explore the symbols and stories through which I build intimacy with my family history.