You might be a Mennonite if
You are from
Germany, Russia, Pennsylvania, or Oklahoma.

But what if you are
From South America?
Landlocked in the country of Paraguay,
Exiled to the barren, dusty landscape of the Chaco,
Speaking German in this Spanish-speaking world?

You might be a Mennonite if
Your last name is
Yoder, Miller, Reimer, or Friesen.

But what if you are
From the Congo?
Living a life by the sparkling blue river that runs through this country,
Echoing tunes of loud, vivacious praise,
Surrounded by people of the same faith, with last names like Tshmika?

You might be a Mennonite If
You eat
Zwiebach, borscht, or verenika.

But what if you are
From India
Loving spices with unique, unheard-of names and flavors
Eating curry with tender lamb or chicken or beef,
Salivating over a bed of steaming white rice?

But what if you’re not
One of us
What if you adopted this culture,
These beliefs,
This life,
This distinct identity?

What if you were once
A part of this world,
But chose to separate yourself,
And became simply in this world?

Can one leave the world once they are a part of it?
Can one become Mennonite?
But what of me?
I grew up Mennonite,
And yet,
I feel very much a part of this world.

Fighting,
Not like a pacifist.
Giving in to want,
Not need.
Living with an excess of technology,
Not with an excess of the Bible.

I question God,
Not like a Mennonite girl should.

Where were you all those nights I was
Alone
With my father?

I called,
But you did not answer.
I prayed,
But you were silent.

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

You might be Mennonite if
You accept
God and peace, and deny the world.

But what if
I cannot accept God and peace, and deny the world?
What if the world and I have fused together?
Inseparable.

Mennonite by ethnicity
Lost in faith,
Longing for Christ,
Living in the world.
Not really a Mennonite
At all.

Help me, Lord.
Show me your path,
Separate me from this terrifying world,
Make me Mennonite once more.