Who I Really Am
Summary
A poem about my American Creed, told in the stories of my grandparents.
My creed is my mother’s father
Moving to America from Europe to become a better man
From the country taken in ‘39
Telling a young me every day how lucky I am that he did
A cold and abrasive man
Coming from a past I would never know the truth about
And a country torn apart by oppression
He brought his experiences to a new land
A cold and rainy land
One that was so different
But stuck together
Like a collage of race and culture
Not together
Not apart
He fought for this country
I suppose that means he loved it
But he never told me so
He passed when I was five years old
I guess I’ll never know
Who he really is
My creed is my father’s father
The last of a long line of natives
Stuck in a town
Where dry air circulated as uselessly as the deadly trade
That has destroyed so many
A young boy
Stuck
Without his mother or his sister
He tells me his past is lost in a haze
But I can see it in his eyes
It is the only thing he can see
Like a lightning bolt of clarity
In his mind
He’s long gone now
I guess I’ll never know
Who he really is
My creed is my mother’s mother
A never ending combination
Of every country in Europe
And maybe some in Asia
Who knows?
She doesn’t
She has no idea where she comes from
What her family sacrificed for her
Who made that first decision to come to this country?
A grandmother?
An uncle?
The list goes on
And on
And on
England
Scotland
Ireland
Russia
I wonder who
This woman could possibly be
She refuses to talk about it anymore
I guess I’ll never know
Who she really is
My creed is my father’s mother
The one I know least of all
We’ve never met
But I know her
By the snakes coiled around her family tree
They say she’s crazy
Incoherent
I have no idea where she’s from
Or where she’ll go
Or whether she really is
Bonkers
Off her rocker
Lost her mind
Incoherent
They say she’s German
But who knows?
Funny, isn’t it?
She lives far away
I guess I’ll never know
Who she really is
My creed is me.
A mutt.
A mix.
I am the collage.
I am but a small reflection of the countries I’ve come from.
Poland
Germany
England
Scotland
Ireland
Russia
America
I am from here
And not here
All at once
I am stuck together from leftover parts
Where am I from?
Who am I from?
Where can I go?
What is my creed?
Who am I?
I guess I’ll never know
Who I really am.
Avondale High School Avondale High School
Avondale High School is in Oakland County, in Southeast Michigan.