Artwork: Solitaire by Balthus
You joke about my history
Because I know it means nothing to you.
But how do I make you understand that we
Are all products of our ancestors
And not just their genes
But their culture
Their monuments.
I have a piece of Ravi
Surging through my veins
That my great grandfather crossed
The ensuing massacre
He was spared from
But the pain of losing his home
Still makes a dwelling inside of me.
You can laugh at my history
Of blood and gore
And call it nothing
But it still rises inside me
When no one's looking.
When I tell you about my history
Tal and Talwali their language
You say to me
"That's a funny name."
And my bones twist at your ignorance
Of my heritage
That reeks of only memories
From the other side of the border.
And I tell you again
To laugh at my history
While I gather the remnants of it
To keep them safe.
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