We are all just,
Just here looking all around,
Around the world, we have come,
Come to a land,
Land of fortune
Fortune to all, we are all different,
Different we dare, show us your culture,
Culture is all around us,
Us be taught, us be educated,

In the cradle of history, where shadows unfold
MLK’s dreams were found to be told
And Rosa Parks she fought,
With actions so bold

My culture is made through my family connection
We are connected through my family connection
Life is great when someone can sit and eat with you.

The people of Haiti rose up in revolution,
Their strength and courage are never in question.
Against oppression and injustice, they took a stand,
Fighting for freedom and equality across the land.

Their example as the first black republic,
Paved the way for others to follow and depict.
Defying colonial powers, their voices were heard,
Their dreams became a reality, and their legacy secured.

My mother’s land,
The city, which is the heart of it,
With the flag flying with pride
And the identity that it provides.

The beautiful traditions of that land,
The colors that are woven like magic,
And the music that makes you ecstatic,
That land is what I wish to see one day in grand.

This was my mother’s first home
Her first steps were here,
This place which she holds dear.
The place that she bemoans.
It holds the child she was before.

Woven baskets and clay made pots
Bold colored mask and bantu knots
Bracelets and necklaces made from gold
Stands with bush tea served hot or cold
The drums are played nice and loud
And people begin to form a large crowd
It doesn’t take too much time to really find out
Some african traditions and what they’re all about

Their skin resemble bark on trees,
Their hair texture is as if it’s wool ,
And their hair color is as though it could be charcoal.
Golds litter their body as if they’re kings and queens.
The language they spoke is twisted english .
The songs they listen to is very abundant , coming in many styles .
Their garments can be baggy, street wear they call it .
Their dance is graceful and unique, and is always inspiring other cultures .

I loved when my mom did my hair
She made me look cute at every event
When she did my hair even though it hurt
I felt like we had some kind of bond
My mom doesn’t do my hair anymore.
Now I do.

Without my mom
I have to blow-dry my hair
When it is straight or blowed out it is more easy
for me to maintain my hair.

The ends of my hair look like straw
when I haven’t had a trim In a while
whenever I have time to go to a salon
they trimmed a lot of my dead ends.
I’ve bleached my hair two times now
I just hope it doesn’t come out like
The leaves on tree branches in the fall.

Moving to the States showed me how different I was from everyone else.
“What did you say”
“You’re saying it wrong”
“It’s pronounced like this”
“You’re speaking too fast”
Sentences that haunted me as a young boy.
I felt so out of place in a world where we speak the same language but somehow I’m the misunderstood one. I felt like the black sheep in a white herd. It took years for me to realize being different is good. I like how my people can understand you but you can’t understand me.

Jack of all trades, yet master of none.
Everywhere I go is a different culture to understand, a different tradition to learn
I would spend my time studying, all so that I could fit in with the crowd
Eventually, they started to blend together to the point that I lost myself in the process.

Understanding all cultures but my own, I was ashamed of myself
But as I grew older, I decided I wanted to change those feelings.
I wanted to fit in with the family, to share the culture I could never understand with others.

So I tried.

Cooking with the family, and even talking in the language I once never could speak
They’re pretty small steps in hindsight, but it brings me joy to know that every day,
I’m a little closer to understanding myself.

It’s okay to feel a gap between you and your identity.
As long as you’re trying your best, you’re already connecting with it.

It was all interesting to see
It opened our minds
Some days we wish to visit all of these places
So many out there
We can’t wait to feel the same feeling
In such a powerful presence.