My Race

     They ask me to write down my race

and I think and think,
very seriously,


And consider
writing down the truth
and have my answer read.

I have my grandparents who know
All too well the problems of the word race
Alongside my Filipino cousin Todd, who's
Too young to understand race, inside my body.

I have the deciduous woods of Kentucky
In this body.
I have the evergreen forests of Alaska
In this body.

I have Green River, Lake Cumberland,
The houseboat, the campground, all in my body.

I have a pig farm and a cow farm of Marion County
Right next to the big cities of Florida, the beaches
Of Hilton Head, the mountains of West Virginia in my body.

And I think and think
Very seriously

And consider
Writing down the truth
And having my answer read.

I have original and alternative songs
Played by my cousin's band in this body.
I have oldies and goodies played
By my dad's band in this body.
I have rhythms played by the drumline
In this body.

I have tennis, which has been a part of me for years,
Soccer, and martial arts, which affects all parts
Of my life, wrapped inside this body.

I have horses, bourbon and whiskey, bluegrass,
And rolling hills; I have creeks and country ponds,
Close communities of friends and carefree days
In the summer. All of these, inside my body.

But I stop.

And simply
Write down
White.