I Came From Two

by: Sarah Addison

I came from two

Two that are opposite

Two that are uniquely different

Two that are family

Two that are Black and Japanese

The Black is my father

Four generations ago his relatives were born into slavery and prejudice

His great-great grandmother lived when freedom came

We honor Juneteenth, a holiday

When we remember the Emancipation Proclamation

We celebrate Christmas and Thanksgiving to show thanks to God

The Japanese is my mother

Her father and her aunt went to secluded internment camps

They struggled with English and loss of their land

Just as I struggle when learning Japanese

Part of being Japanese is to celebrate New Year’s

Both make up me

I play the piano

I play the violin

I celebrate Juneteenth and New Year’s

And Christmas and Thanksgiving

I am not the only one with musical talent

My father has played the tuba and guitar

My mother has played the piano and violin

Now my father plays the cello; a gift from my music teacher

I have the background of Black and Japanese

I am like a Bumblebee because of my parent’s black and yellow skin tones.

I have a valuable gift in music

Two awesome parents

That’s what makes me

I came from two