2 - Charlene H. I Am From Poem

I am from a mixed-race heritage

From a short Filipino mother and a tall African-American father.

From admiration of my ethnic identities

But being stared at by others as they utter,

“You’re half Black? But your skin color...”

With my hair twirled in its natural loose spiral curls.

I am from solitude behind closed doors

From an undefined distance between society and myself

Drowning in the sound of silence

Re-energizing.

I am from a world of my own,

From a mind where I hover around the height of my thoughts

Sometimes dangerous,

But sometimes relaxing.

I am from respect and tolerance

Never glaring at others

Or observing with an evil grin

I never use my swords

But only my words

I don’t fuel the fires others have set ablaze

I try to extinguish them

I am from the strong, disconcerting need to help and protect

As I see others shriek in mental and physical agony,

Craving affection.

I want to see the looks on their faces

When I embrace them with a hug of security.

Word Count: 175