check one

Exploring a small challenge of being mixed-race.

right in front of my eyes

on my small wooden desk

where my paper was struck by the sun

lay the finished first page

of my standardized test

well except for the question “check one”

now my mother is asian

my father is white

tell me how could i possibly choose

could they be meaning to say

and i think that they might

that at times there’s a race i could lose?

tell me how i should pick

between dumplings and ‘que

chinese new year or fourth of july

wearing red for the Tiger

(if that means something to you)

or my western boots made of cowhide

in a world of difference

why must we comply

if we live on the line between blues

of tumbling tides

and expanses of sky

the horizon between matters too

my race isn’t something

you fit in a box

my culture not one or the other

but it was to advantage

and so i was taught

to check “white” at request of my mother.

Reviews

[jacob erin-cilberto]

none of us should be labeled, and i like how you used "race" with double meaning.

this is really from the heart---and i agree that no one fits in a box.
the idea of having to choose...sad.

we are what we are, everyone matters, we are all of consequence...regardless of race, nationality..any of that...we are people
we don't get to choose who we are and we shouldn't be faced with this dilemma.

I was originally from Bronx, NY...lived there in the 50's....afterwards we moved to the midwest. My mom thought i should never say i was from Bronx...but rather Illinois because our neighborhood had gotten bad...i refused...Bronx is as much a part of me as anywhere else...it is where i was born...

sorry, this poem really got me reflecting.

j.

[Daisy Ackerman]

Thanks for your words, and thank you for sharing your story. I guess we feel similarly about this :)

[iand63]

Society avoids grey areas because they won't fit neatly into their box. But here lies the freedom for creativity. Wonderful work Daisy.

[.]

This is just lovely, Daisy. Straight from the heart. Don't let it bother you though. Mixed race parentage is unique. That makes you rare. Keep smiling!

[Daisy Ackerman]

Thanks for your words! And of course I will keep smiling :)

[Aswin R Prasad]

Great poem.. Made me think and i'm sure it'll make all the readers think..
It's a great topic to write upon.. And loved how you ended it :)

Thanks for sharing such a write with something to think about! :)

[Daisy Ackerman]

Thank you!