SOMETIMES

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