Sometimes I love being who I am
other times I wish I didn’t need to explain that
I am not black,
I am not white,
I am me.
I am the blend of those who came together in love
and created me.
Sometimes I am grateful
to have had my light skin,
and sometimes I hate it
because it leaves me feeling
and being told I do not belong
When I stand up for my blackness
I am no longer white enough.
When I come out as mixed,
I am not black enough
Sometimes I wish my skin
was just a shade darker.
so people could see my blackness.
But then I remember
I am perfect just as I am
and what matters most is
my pride in being biracial,
my remembering that I represent
what wholeness can look like
Sometimes I get tired of feeling
like the bridge that helps people understand
Then I realize this is my purpose
to be the bridge.
To be able to talk about
white privilege
racism,
colorism,
and all the other ways
we have come to distrust each other
and ourselves.
Sometimes I wish
I didn’t need to be a bridge,
but then I give thanks that I am
because bridges make it easier
for us to connect,
to cross divides
to move over walls
to find solutions
which could not be found
without the willingness
to use a bridge.