Here is a poem that I wrote...for you sensitive souls, please don't read too much into it. It's only an observation of certain people...and besides I think deep down you'll see that there is some truth in what I have to say. Oh, and by the way, this poem is copyrighted and have been published in "The Voices Within" 1997-98 Vol.4.

A N D     T H E Y     H A V E     P R I D E




And they have pride...
 those who bleach their
 hair blond and streaks
 of red and orange;
 as if they can 
 hide the black roots

And they have pride...
 those who line their 
 eyes to make them
 look bigger; as if
 not to recognize their
 true Oriental beauty

And they have pride...
 those who shade their 
 eyes blue and hazel;
 as if new colors
 will make people look
 at them differently

And they have pride...
 those who forget their
 native tongue, or will
 not speak it, as if 
 this will make them
 a natural "American Citizen"

And they have pride...
 those who are ashamed
 of their parents and
 ridicule them in from
 of their friends; as if
 this makes them popular

And they have pride...

 those who strut around
 in platform shoes, scoffing
 at their own kind,
 forgetting they too had
 been Fresh Off the Boat

They have no pride...
 to them an observer 
 would say

They have no pride...
 unless they let their 
 hair grow back to 
 its natural color; for
 pride is to value
 genuine beauty; simple elegance

They have no pride...
 unless they will not
 paint their faces as
 if they are ashamed
 of their own race;
 for pride is showing
 your true identity

They have no pride...
 unless they can wear
 a kimono or a chinese
 satin dress; for pride
 is to appreciate
 their own ancestry

They have no pride...
 unless they say in 
 their own language the
 meaning of pride; for
 pride, is not saying
 "I have pride" alone

They have no pride...
 an observer will say

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