Being biracial is worse than being just one race
Because you don’t belong in just ONE PLACE
You twist, turn to fit the mold
But everyone’s attention do you hold
In this group or this group you DIDN’T really fit
They pushed you and shoved you and gave you S***

Because your mom was Asian and your dad was Black
They assumed you were ALL black
They assumed you slacked
They assumed you were BAD

When they saw you working diligently
They gave you their work and expected it free
They called you “CHINK”
And asked, “Do you even BLINK?”
But their harsh words never hampered me

If anything they made me stronger
They made me proud
PROUD to be
A diverse individual of two rich cultures
Replete with intelligence
Oblivious of disenchantment

They bolstered my faith in my tenacity
And I abstained from the abrasive harangue
But when they heard my resonant voice
And they saw my blithe choice
Getting on that stage and singing
Declaring independence, demanding respect, being BIRACIAL

They knew that I was different
Never KNOWING what to make of me
From the very beginning
Then my world started to change
On every word they began to hang
They no longer gave me grief
Crying no more, myself to sleep
Becoming bothersome and annoying
Morning, Noon, and Evening

Showing me their OTHER faces
As fake as plastic
The Barbie’s and Ken’s of my generation
Making my life as dramatic and terrible as a theatrical revue
Naivety making me mistake their plasticity as GENUINE

My world CHANGING
Being NOTICED
Being RECOGNIZED as a special person
Taking advantage of my loneliness
Invitations to my home
But did I even know that I wanted to be alone?
Did I even realize that they were changing ME?

It wasn’t until my junior year of high school
That I found out that life wasn’t about being COOL

I stopped caring about what they thought
I started living for me
And I FOUGHT
With the demons in me

They became way stronger
When you gave them an abundance of POWER

I learned how to be me
To love me
With the changing of the seasons
I knew that their “Friendship” was no longer a reason
To make myself unhappy

That day, I became a divergent individual
And VERSATILITY was my middle name.

Ako ay iba't ibang
I am Me