They tell me to adapt
Fit in with where I’m at
And when I do, how come
They tell me to go back to where I’m from
I found the corners in which
I seem to blend well
The shades that complement
My obvious differences
And I accept and adopt
These new and different ways
And when I do they say
Don’t forget the place from where I came
It’s great to celebrate
My heritage and roots
I should be proud
But don’t make too much noise
The way of things
Of words, slurs, colloquium
I understand their definition
Yet they mean nothing
To someone who lives between
Two tongues, two feelings
Two worlds, two pains
The loudest sound is emptiness
It is the loneliest loneliness
To inhabit spaces that don’t exist
Where I was born is where I’m loyal
Where I grew up should be my home
Yet it is foreign to me, this homeland
As strange as the place from where my family came