I was plucked from my native land
And flown away by a foreign hand
Across many seas and mountains I flew
But for what reason I never knew
I was forced to mingle with others
Different from that of my sisters and brothers
They looked different and spoke strangely
And when I voiced my words, they looked at me curiously
Not everything I saw was something new
The things that shocked me were fairly few
But many other things I turned away from
Wanting to go back from where I had come
When they pledged their allegiance to their flag, their country
My lips didn’t move and I stood rigid, silently
My hand on my heart but my mind far away
I began to wonder how long I would stay
I made many friends, that much is true
We made little groups of three and two
They made me feel precious, like a beautiful jewel
I made my mark in the generous school
They told me that they had carved out a space for me
On their crowns of friendship and kindness and dubbed me humanity’s key
But no matter how beautiful a stone I was I would never fit
Into the space they had shown me so alone I must sit
They do not understand that my silence is something I enjoy
Solitude is my hobby, my entertainment, my toy
They see the glum look upon my face and rush to my side
To them I look depressed and sore but they miss what I feel inside
When I look at them, smiling, I do not see them at all
I do not see them grinning at me, leaning against the wall
All I see are the differences between their likes and mine
When they ask if I feel anything, I say “No. I am fine.”
They smell the cuisine of my culture on my breath like whiskey
I absorb their friendly ribbings and chuckle quietly
They are all the same to me for I am not of them
I know that we are friends but still I feel like I’m condemned
I trained my tongue to carry their accent so my words don’t turn heads my way
I bite my tongue when I’m not needed and swallow more than I say
I blend in with the throngs and crowds but it’s always so obvious
People take one quick look at me and say “My, you are curious!”
One day I’ll go back to my home and I’ll feel like I belong
I’ll laugh and talk without fabrications and sing my nation’s song
But until then I’ll wait here, silent and watchful
I will always remain present and try my best to be hopeful