Different is Strong

The color of my skin has always been darker than theirs

Sun-kissed and golden, my mother would assure me

I tore at my cheeks, unhappy with the reflection

I was different, that was sure.

The shoes that I wore, tattered and a few years too old

The clothes were the same, handed down from my siblings

All the girls wore the same kinds of clothes

But not me

I was different, that was sure.

I was naive then,

Not realizing a snide look

Or a whisper under the breath

Could be something so foul,

Inhumanity, at its best

I guess I was different, that was sure.

My skin, my face, my voice, suppressed

My family fighting for my liberty

I never really knew what it meant

I was different then, that was sure.

Now I am cautious

I fight and protect

The oppressed and rejected

Represent the minority

Speak up when spoken down to

I am different now, that is sure.