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Array ( [sid] => 27361 [catid] => 1 [aid] => mick [title] => American Enough? [time] => 2003-11-18 00:42:17 [hometext] => What does it mean to be an American? The answer is not simple. [bodytext] => I was reading
The other day
Of Chinese-Americans
And Of Native-Americans
And their lives, their culture.

Gish brings forth her language
And Alexie his heritage,
Du Bois' duality of existence and
Rivera's conflicted life
Play in my mind like
A cinematic self-exploration.

I question, then, who I am.
And so, who am I?
I know not my lineage,
Nor my history,
But I have a name and a belonging.

I carry my name with me
And it carries my actions with it.
Who I am, then, is defined
Solely by the choices I make
In a society without a past.

And so, who am I?
I am an American.
But what is an American?
Who judges what makes an American?

Am I
American enough to fit in
With those who question whether they are
American enough to fit in
With me?

I know the main meals at McDonalds,
And of Wal-Mart.
I know of reality television,
And the workings of computers.

I know of America's wars,
And I know the Bill of Rights.
I'm aware of the legal system
And the Presidents of the past.

Do these things make me American enough?

I have read of colonization
And of oppression and also of rebellion.
I have read of philosophy, and Thomas Paine himself
Spoke with me about life.

I have read of the histories of Europeans,
Of Japanese and Chinese,
Of Mexicans and Spanish.
I have read of the histories of Americans,
And in these histories, I have seen myself.

I and my world are of these histories
Forged from them and of them existing
Solely to forge the next generations.

And yet I still wonder,
Even though my life is spawn
Of America itself,
"Am I American enough...?" [comments] => 1 [counter] => 684 [topic] => 21 [informant] => TheSpiritx [notes] => [ihome] => 0 [alanguage] => english [acomm] => 0 [haspoll] => 0 [pollID] => 0 [score] => 0 [ratings] => 0 [editpoem] => 1 [associated] => [topicname] => Lifepoems )

American Enough?

Contributed by TheSpiritx on Tuesday, 18th November 2003 @ 12:42:17 AM in AEST
Topic: Lifepoems

I was reading
The other day
Of Chinese-Americans
And Of Native-Americans
And their lives, their culture.

Gish brings forth her language
And Alexie his heritage,
Du Bois' duality of existence and
Rivera's conflicted life
Play in my mind like
A cinematic self-exploration.

I question, then, who I am.
And so, who am I?
I know not my lineage,
Nor my history,
But I have a name and a belonging.

I carry my name with me
And it carries my actions with it.
Who I am, then, is defined
Solely by the choices I make
In a society without a past.

And so, who am I?
I am an American.
But what is an American?
Who judges what makes an American?

Am I
American enough to fit in
With those who question whether they are
American enough to fit in
With me?

I know the main meals at McDonalds,
And of Wal-Mart.
I know of reality television,
And the workings of computers.

I know of America's wars,
And I know the Bill of Rights.
I'm aware of the legal system
And the Presidents of the past.

Do these things make me American enough?

I have read of colonization
And of oppression and also of rebellion.
I have read of philosophy, and Thomas Paine himself
Spoke with me about life.

I have read of the histories of Europeans,
Of Japanese and Chinese,
Of Mexicans and Spanish.
I have read of the histories of Americans,
And in these histories, I have seen myself.

I and my world are of these histories
Forged from them and of them existing
Solely to forge the next generations.

And yet I still wonder,
Even though my life is spawn
Of America itself,
"Am I American enough...?"

Copyright © TheSpiritx ... [ 2003-11-18 00:42:17]
(Date/Time posted on site)

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Re: American Enough? (User Rating: 1 )
by emystar on Tuesday, 18th November 2003 @ 12:55:57 AM AEST
(User Info | Send a Message)

Great writing!
peace, joy, luv,
emy

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