“Southeast Asia” is — spicepunk, a DIY-project in gold. An archipelago’s gold — is glorious shining myth and “pan-ASEAN” — is abundance, Tiger Beer, and hoarding. Abundance is gold is “pan-ASEAN solidarity” and every three-finger salute up your ████ ██████ ████ ████ ████████████. Gold is arrogance, shining rattan at golden hour. Glinting gold from the shore when you squint hard its — uy uy uy, hot hot hot, its too hot today, we go outside another time, can? Gold is gilded spires on Buddhist stupas and missing wealth; gold is maneki-neko and turon; is gushing from Lake Taal to Mt. Merapi and Krakatau to Semeru. Gold is squeeze calamansi, and then pinch $10 billion PHP. Glitter on drag queen glitter on kathoey and bissu and kadaw dress. We’re here because we’re here because we’re here because we are! Gold is gold tooth laughing despite, despite, despite. Gold is a cornucopia of colour. A merchant’s good goods, kamagi beads traded for kinnari; gold is a fair exchange. Gold is unfair exchange. Gold is reclaimed land in Singapore; land is missing from Cambodia, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam. Southeast Asia is arrogance. Southeast Asia is abundance; I am arrogance. I am abundance.