Today's Ethical ELA asks us to write a poem "about the tension and beauty of living between two cultures." My own heritage is pieced together like a quilt; yet, I am certain that surnames as well as first names provide a binding that determines how we perceive ourselves as well as how others see us.
From the very beginning
I was wrapped in a shamrock green quilt,
The Dineen surname overpowering
Equal sized fabrics from,
Germany, Italy and Wales.
My siblings, Kathleen and Jeremiah,
Despite identical genetics,
Far more Irish than I,
Anita, whose perhaps
Spanish or Peruvian name
Added color, if not clear roots,
To my quilt.
Hesitantly,
I traded my quilt's backing
For one where race cars
Mingle with calamari,
Providing my children
The Ferreri surname binding
Pieces of their own quilts
From Germany, Italy, Wales, Ireland
With perhaps, embroidery from Spain or Peru!
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