What I Am

I am

Hispanic.

To my people in Mexico,

The color of my skin is a symbol of

Pride.

To those in the USA,

The color of my skin means I am

A minority.

But to me, the color of my skin is only a color.

My worth is not defined by the fact that I belong to two different worlds,

But never to one entirely.

I am the manifestation of my parents’ American Dream.

Many say that the American Dream is dead,

But I am the proof that it is still alive.

When I graduate next spring,

I will be my parents’ third flower to bloom, though I wasn’t supposed to survive the winter

Because to those who do not know me, I was deemed a failure

Only because of the color of my skin.

I am not the Hispanic Dropout statistic.

I am not an existence that can be written off solely because of my ethnic background.

I am a wildcard.

The color of my skin does not tell you who I am or who I will be.

I am

Hispanic.

I am

The future.