"Excuse Me, Miss"

Excuse me, Miss—

I couldn’t help but overhear

Your arbitrary commentary

About Hispanic girls and

Teen pregnancy.

You said that the culture

Feeds breeding

Through the imagery of

The Madonna

And the Prostitute.

I felt like a drowning victim.

Helpless: So helpless.

Grasping for something to hold on to;

Knowing that I may perish

In this maelstrom of words.

Mind screaming,

Overwhelmed.

Do I fight against the current

Of your ignorance?

Do I let it stand?

My mouth opens.

I speak simple words

To politely inform you

Of my proud heritage and my

Teen mom status.

No doubt,

Feeding into your stereotype.

When you failed to apologize,

I let it slide.

And as you walked away

Those words left unspoken

Screamed their fury

Along the corridors of my mind.

I am Latina!

Or “White Hispanic” if you must dispute

My complexion.

No, I was not raised in “the culture,”

But the blood runs deep

And roots don’t lie.

I am mother to a child

Conceived on a basement couch

At seventeen.

And no, it was NOT an accident…

But it became she

And she is beautiful.

Dark honey curls and

Shrill laughter.

My “happily ever after”.

And I am so tired of the

Mainstream banter

That tells me

How to see myself.

How dare you generalize,

Marginalize,

And despise

Other women?

Between our hips lies

The cradle of civilization.

Black, White, Brown, Yellow

Or any shade in between;

We are the keepers of life

And dreams.

So how dare you spill your hate?!!

And how dare I

Let you walk away…?

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I am posting this because the racist comments that triggered this poem came out of the mouth of a future teacher. God help us and our children.