What are you?
I've been asked this many times,
So you'd think I'd know how to reply.
I know you're asking for my ethnicity,
But I'm much more than meets the eye.
There's more to me than what you see,
I'm not just black or white.
Being told to choose one over the other,
Has been all of my life.
As a child, I remember hating my hair,
Took an hour to get it right.
The only way to tame my culture,
Was to tie it up and out of sight.
An Ethiopian expected to run,
An Irish destined to sing.
Conflicting social expectations,
Mixed into one being.
And then there was the unit,
Of basketball in gym.
Where others thought that I'd have "hops,"
Based on my melanin.
Don't let your eyes deceive you,
I'm 5'1 not 5'11.
Yes, I'm partially black,
But I'm no Michael Jordan.
Then there came middle school,
In the city of St. Louis Park.
A suburb of Minneapolis,
Where it's uncommon to be dark.
We learned of segregation,
MLK, and civil rights.
But which half do I represent,
When my two halves used to fight?
But soon as I grew older,
I realized one day.
That I can't fit in just one box,
Black and white doesn't equal grey.
I'm everything and nothing,
But rather than having to choose.
I am not just black nor white,
But rather, a rainbow of infinite hues.
So next time I'm asked, "what are you?"
I'll know where to begin.
I'm a traveler, a night owl,
A graphic designer, and a friend.
Photographer, coffee-lover,
Grande mocha blend.
Of my grandma June's musicianship,
And my sister Hannah's
animal-friendly hand.
My Danish roommate Ahnika's,
Wanderlust and pride.
My dad Getachew's humor,
And the joy he holds for life.
Amy's silly dance moves,
And late-night exploring.
Thankfulness for every day,
Where being alive is never boring.
I'm morning and I'm night,
I'm dusk and dawn and noon.
The pinks of every sunrise,
And the blues of every moon.
I'm heels and flats and Converse,
Every size of every shoe.
A chameleon of cultures,
From Germany to England, too.
A face of Irish freckles,
Scattered all over the place.
From my square-shaped African hairline,
To my Dutch nose grounded in place.
I'm Ethiopian Orthodox,
With a slice of Lutheran.
A fan of bohemian culture,
But jazz is my religion.
So next time you decide to judge,
Please change your point of view.
See the world while colorblind,
And answer my question for you.
What are you?
