Being Me

BEING ME Deeper than skin colour Hidden behind a mask of white Native blood surges from my soul Part of a world I can never fully embrace The real me hidden The legacy of a proud warrior people Crushed by the conquest of men white Drowned by alcohol and violence Robbed of language, land and knowledge Left with destruction and pain I struggle for a place to belong My cocoon of comfort and security Strangled by stereotypes and unrealistic standards Not brown enough to be one of them Bigotry and hate I search for acceptance and authenticity Either I am or I am not On the outskirts looking in - fragmented Torn between imposter and real Trapped in a body white The journey of becoming life long Identity ever changing The search for the uniqueness Of who I am Never ending