White Girl

wrote for a class - please keep and open mind

I,

am white.

No, I'm sure you didn't hear me I am white

with my Irish-Polish-German blood

I have lived in the suburbs my entire life and survived a school

system where the greatest difference between skin

is pale, beige and porcelain.

 

I burn my hands lifting roping and chasing

but real women look at my calluses, grin and chuckle saying,

"damn girl, that's just hard skin."

 

My parents pay for my food, clothes and electirc

but that doesn't stop me from stamping my foot and demanding to

have more freedom

have more space

when some parents don't even bother to talk face to face

with their children

in their eyes, kis are just a burden.

 

If a big black man with

big black hands approches me when I'm alone on the street

I can promise my heart won't be

pumping in excitment, I'll corss the street, keep my eyes down

I curse myself for the guilt.

 

My neighbor next door in an Indian, respectful friendly with children

but I don't even know his name

and if a fire came to claim

my carpets, floors and roof I can promise you that

my feet won't be flying to seek help on their stoop.

 

And what is this divide that lies between me and them,

them and us and allows my parents to nod in a agreement

when my cousin uses politics to make excuses for her racist treatments?

Who the hell am I to claim to know the difference

bewteen white and black when there

are so many other shades that I never see,

shades that are lacking and prove to me to be

so much more than a white girl who was rasied believeing

that colored peopel are free

 

I am a white girl who was rasied knowing that I 

am free, and that is the difference between them and me, 

because while I pity their plight and want to 

abandon my rights, but

I will not claim to be noble enough to forever

give up my color-

 

one week or one month of living under the cover

of a sympathizer and I am done

Finished

OVER!

 

And knowing this, admitting this proves

that I am just a little white girl

with so much and not enough to lose. 

 

Author's Note

honesty please!

Reviews

[jazz]

wow. i felt that this was excellent. it was honest and provided a perspective on the clashes of race (or lackthereof in your case) in a very unique, often unrecognized way. there are a few parts that can be trimmed down a bit in my opinion and the scene with the "big black man" could be made more concrete, but overall this was above awesome.

And what is this divide that lies between me and them,
them and us and allows my parents to nod in a agreement
when my cousin uses politics to make excuses for her racist treatments?
I am a white girl who was rasied knowing that I

am free, and that is the difference between them and me,
because while I pity their plight and want to
abandon my rights, but
I will not claim to be noble enough to forever
give up my color-

very powerful stuff here

[Li Li]

This was put together and displayed very well.... You stuck to the story and gave a topic that could be sorrowful or hateful, humor. I commend an artist when they can take something so dark, giving it light. Many will allow it to simply stay dark..... Not many try to turn it around.

I truly admired this.

Bless!

[Rion]

Woah, I like it.
Touching a very touchy subject with a very honest voice.
I am fascinated by the way you've written it, too.
the stanzas...
and the layout.
it's different...
nice.
Rion

[Kevin Andros]

It's kinda good. Touches the subject of racism tenderly, brushes some complex points in the society of today and finishes off with a good taste. You said to be honest. ~KA~

[Russianbeauty]

this is brave. so often we let our fear of what other people will think of our opinions that we don't say what we want to say. Being a white kid from the suburbs with middle class parents, now living in one of the most diverse areas of one of the most segregated cities, I can relate. Its hard to understand another culture that we have only read about in books, and its even harder to admit that we know nothing about it. kudos to you.

[Nicholas Hallows]

This is really good. The first time I read it I didn't pick up on the subtle rhymes until I got to the last few stanzas but then I went back through it again and got it, and it was even better. The rhyming does get more obvious towards the end, but I am guessing that is deliberate as the message becomes clearer. Just a few typos that need correcting but excellent in my opinion. NH

[Raef C. Boylan]

Like everyone else who has reviewed, i admire the unflinching honesty of this piece.
No excuses, no attempts by the narrator to make herself look better, just telling it straight.
How was this received by the class you wrote it for?

I advise you to go through and pick up the typos:
"My parents pay for my food, clothes and electirc" [electric]
"in their eyes, kis are just a burden." [kids?]
"pumping in excitment, I'll corss the street, keep my eyes down" [cross?] [excitement]
"My neighbor next door in an Indian" [in an = is an?]
"so much more than a white girl who was rasied believeing" [believing]
"that colored peopel are free" [people]

There are a few places that seem like they need tightening up, e.g.

"because while I pity their plight and want to
abandon my rights, but
I will not claim to be noble enough to forever" [the "but" seems out of place]

Thought-provoking and quite challenging.
Great work. With a little re-working, this could be an amazing poem.

[mysticgmekeepr]

VERY good Casey! Deep, reflective, thought provoking and honest. Powerful poem.

[Robert Erickson]

this is really good just need to edit it sometime , a few spelling mistakes, good job kiddo

This is very good. Very honest! I can relate to this poem. Where I live there are only whites (until summer) on the island. I don't go to school with anyone of a different culture. This poem is well written and needs to be shared. Great work!

[Collette]

Wow, talk about the other side of the coin. I loved this piece for many, many reasons, but mainly, it's raw honesty. You flirt with the fine line between serious and satire, which made me truly ponder your motives for writing this. It does such a nice job of playing with the reader's mind...I still haven't quite figured it out. The duality is just stunning. Likewise, the language plays an important part in making this piece so solid. Lines like:
bewteen white and black when there

are so many other shades that I never see,

shades that are lacking and prove to me to be

so much more than a white girl who was rasied believeing

that colored peopel are free

These lines play brilliantly. Flow nicely. Easy to understand, relate to. I think both sides of the spectrum could relate to this piece in one way or another. Excellent job!!!!
Thanks for sharing!