Legacy

Is it I that am the legacy
Of their temporary refugee
Status as immigrants
Living as indigents

Whose situation surrounds me
Whose stereotypes confound me

am I them or are they me?

Are you confused by my name
And all brown folk look the same
All foreigners and minorities
The same burden to authorities

They escaped and arrived—
From oppressed to alive!
But Revolution, it seems
Turned to suburbia dreams

Ellis Island long forgotten
But She still wants your downtrodden
So through airports to this land
Passports and paper clutched in hand

The ancient roots uprooted
Their fragrance diluted
As they planted new seeds
And forgot their own needs
--for us -- for me?

am I them or are they me?

And, oh me, sweet little tot
Child of the melting pot
No roots and legacies to be found
In the land where opportunities abound

Just Disney World and french fries
Cartoons and apple pies
And what I wouldn’t sacrifice
For that blond hair and those blue eyes

Yet, no, my skin is not white
But, please ma’am, I won’t bite
And no, no church is home to me
But isn’t my religion free?

What do you mean different from you?
Don’t I do the things you do?

I’m not from where they’re from
Theirs is the beat of a different drum

And yet—
The language in my ears
The tastes on my tongue
The music calms my fears
Our history is sung

And so I grew, and seeds grew to trees
Taking hold were new roots, just for me
Then a new scent bloomed,
And my confusion was consumed…

I am unique, you see
You can’t define me
With commodities

Where are you from? What was that?
Persian like a rug or Persian like a cat?

And what you say is camels and sand
Towelheads and deserts and oil in demand

But for all you say, you can’t know
The sacrifice, the love, the pain, the blow

For me to be happy and for me to be free
To pray as I wished, to be heard and be seen

So your small mind must expand
Not Latina or Arab,
But still a part of this land

Your land, yes—but my land too
Don’t I love it as much as you?

And aren’t they Americans as well?
Don’t they have a story to tell?

Where they came from and where I go
Tied together and waiting to show
That ancient paths can be made anew
New trees bloom, lovely and true

And so I feel the fusion inside
Mixing and growing as cultures collide
And from the fire a bright, shiny spot
The gift of my own little melting pot

And so my light shines in so many ways
And reveals the splendor of their darkest days

The love that they knew and learned to give
Is the force that teaches me to live

And what I offer is what I’ve become
Culture, religion, and family summed

To society I bring
My chimera of hope
Born of different worlds
That quickly eloped

And now the mirror is to be
My lifelong friend and enemy
As I look into it and I see
That I am them and they are me

And yes this is my American dream
Me, the fruit of that growing tree…
To be the goal of their journey.
To be the undying Legacy.

(all content Copyright National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of the United States, 2000-2003, do not use without permission)