Self-Worth
yesterday
a boy
called her
Mixed
last year
bullies called her a B
repeatedly
and she never flinched
but being called, Mixed
hit her in the heart
she’s gotten by thus far
without an uproar
‘cause she looks white
in any room
like all her white friends look
like how her Daddy looks
like how her grandparents look
like how her aunts and uncles and cousins look
but the kids at school know
how her Mother looks
and her Mother doesn’t look white
at all
so a simple walk from class to class
down the sidewalk
talking and laughing with a white boy
results in another white boy making fun of them
“Ew, she’s Mixed. You like a Mixed Asian …”
in that careless moment
her eyes were opened
and her world had changed in an instant
shifted somehow
her sense of belonging was tested
and she questioned her place in the world
her father and I already know how the world works
but she’s still learning hard lessons
in early chapters
I looked in her eyes and told her
whenever someone is mean to you
it’s a reflection of who they are
not who you are
so long as you know who you are
it shouldn’t matter what others think
but when you’re at a certain age
fitting-in is all that matters
the boy who walked and talked and laughed with her
stood up for her
against the other boy
when times get tough
you find out who your friends are
I just hope the best one
will always be
the one she finds
within herself
TL