Poeming Myself

This is a poem I wrote about myself a year ago for Diversity in Children's Literature. I thought I'd share it now because I found it to be a great exercise for reflection and an excellent method for getting to know my classmates.

Breathing

I can’t tell you about me
Unless I tell you about her.
I may not use all English either
Spanish is a better seasoning.

You’re looking at us, ask away.
We’re used to it –
The questions that is.
Yes, we’re twins.
Of course we like it.
Well, we’ve never known anything else.
Do you like breathing?

The Sutton girls.
The twins.
The Sutton twins.
ErinandMegan.

You say you can’t tell the difference.
We even have the same Spanish accent?

Yes, we share a lot.
No, we don’t feel each other’s pain.
But the one thing we always share
And never share at the same time
Is the air we breathe.

You breathe that too.

French, British, and German by ancestry.
Fascinated by all that is
Latino, Chicano, Hispanic,
Mexicano, chileno, guatemalteco,
I’ll call it what you like;
Since I will never be inside
I’m not sure I can choose the name for myself,
Any more than I can choose what kind of air to breathe.

Gringa.
Güerita.
Norteamericana.
Estadounidense.

Call me what you like;
I know I need sunblock
Like you need air.
No matter how perfectly I
Hablo español contigo
You will always know that.

A Michigander through and through
Longing to visit Quito, Santiago, Buenos Aires
To return to Guanajuato
Without leaving the trees, the grass, the lakes –
H.O.M.E.S. for me,
Smelling of fish and rain and fragrant home-made muffins
I ate them with my nose before I saw them come out of the oven.

A Protestant,
But not a protestante,
Enthralled with la basilica de
Nuestra Señora de Guanajuato.
Air in wide open spaces
Somehow seems holier.

A middle class white, yearning
Not to breathe free
But to appreciate her free breath.