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I Am

by AlyMCas2017

 

I am the one that looks at my light skin and feels ashamed of what my mother gave me
I am the one that feels rather perplexed with the last name my father paved in me
I am a Castillo, but they confuse my identity
I am lost and surrounded with labels and I can't find any serenity
I am the one who is ridiculed for looking as fair as Snow White
Yet I am the one who is judged because they don't think I know how to speak Spanish right
Instead I am the one who uses words like superfluous, circuitous, and perfidious
My use of complex vocabulary begins to reduce what I thought I was proud of
But the skin that I’m in looks like I was born and raised in Berlin
I am rejected by the Hispanics because I’m too Americanized
And I am rejected by the whites because they realized my skin color and last name do not correlate
Those two things do not formulate me as one or the other
And yes, it does sting when my own culture excludes because I am bright
And as much as I would love to put up a fight and defend who I am, I simply could not do it

My father gave me his Mexican blood

And my mother hammered in her Spaniard delicacy

My genes are mixed and I am not pure

And no, I am not looking for the cure to solve my light problem

And I don’t want to rewrite my last name to change who I am

Because the way others define is simply not true

And I won’t put the blame on my parents for making me different
People try to put me to shame because I’m not all that tan

But I can say is that I’m still proud of the way that I am

My skin reminds of my beautiful mother who is like no other

And my last name reminds me of my father who would do so much to protect and respect me

But my parents gave me more than skin and a name

They gave me a soul and a heart that I can claim as mine

And as time goes on, I learn how to accept myself

I am adept in Spanish, English, and German

My trilingual tongue intercepts the thought of me being monolingual

I am more than just bilingual

My identity is not anything virtual

And even though people are really hurtful about defining me

I can see that they won’t leave me be no matter what

But that is okay

Because my identity is not gray

I can see it clearly

I am Hispanic

I am a Castillo

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AlyMCas2017

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Comments (1)

jjswank
<p>I am Hispanic, French, Spaniard and so much more</p><p><span style="font-size: 16px;">I am young and ambitious,</span></p><p><span style="font-size: 16px;">My mind is full of colors and dreams, all my life has been a race and one day I will reach the finish line</span></p><p><span style="font-size: 16px;">Easily I am drawn by the lights and I instantly want to follow the light and see where it leads me</span></p><p><span style="font-size: 16px;">I am scared; what will happen?</span></p><p><span style="font-size: 16px;">Where will I go? Who will I be?&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="font-size: 16px;">I am happy, my happiness comes from the little things, the road trips, the movie nights, and those late night talks where you just pour your heart out to a trusted person&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="font-size: 16px;">I am a Jacquez, one who does not give up when knocked down, but I dust myself off and I continue the journey</span></p><p><span style="font-size: 16px;">I am hard working, once faced with an obstacle I will try all different ways to get around it. I try different things, things that I am not used to, those things I once said I would never do&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="font-size: 16px;">The journey which is life always has its ups and downs but my God is always there to support and give the guidance</span></p><p><span style="font-size: 16px;">I am a believer&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="font-size: 16px;">He is the one who gives me the power to keep on going through the journey&nbsp;</span><span style="font-size: 16px;">&nbsp;</span></p><p>I am my one and only there is no one out there like me. No one may understand why I am the way I am but that is the beauty of it,</p><p>In a world of so much diversity God decided to bring me, He made me to be how I am</p><p>I am my own identity, no one could ever compare&nbsp;</p><p>My ancestors are from all around and somehow they all came together and now I am here</p><p>Which is why I am so family oriented; as a family we do argue but no one truly cares for you the way that your family does</p><p>I remember those nights where I would wonder why my parents work so hard, and it is all for me, for my well being</p><p>My father and mother will give their life up for me, for the love of a daughter</p><p>I am slowly molding into a mixture of both of my parents, they have influenced me into becoming the young women I am now.</p><p>I am bilingual thanks to them, I will now have more opportunities</p><p>I will succeed to make them proud, that is initially what my life is for, it is what my finish line is</p><p>And the day that I achieve that goal when I finally finish this race it will all have a meaning</p><p>I am here because of them, so I will do it all for them, for their happiness&nbsp;</p><p>I am a proud daughter of those two wonderful parents,</p><p>I am spontaneous</p><p>I am unique</p><p>I am curious&nbsp;</p><p>I am Hispanic</p><p>I am a Jacquez&nbsp;</p><p>That&#39;s just what I am&nbsp;</p>

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