Chinese Japanese - A true story
Fresh off the boat,
after going full term,
with Mother Pinas.
I forgot how to speak English,
all I knew was Tagalog.
In the late 70's being different was painful
It seemed that every other day I was picked and shoved on,
Worse still was the cruel cursery nursery rhyme that would be sung:
"Chinese,
Japanese,
Stick it up your mum's knees."
They say time is a good healer.
So why does it still sting,
when it should have just stung?
Monochromic kids finding an ironic racial unity,
at the expense of the yellow boy,
the slanty eyed chink.
Chink: n informal, offensive a Chinese person.
At least get my ethnicity right when you insult me
So I fought back and got punished,
spent more time in "time out" than an NHL bad boy.
The pseudo Chinesespeak still rings in my head after all these years.
I forgot how to speak Tagalog,
all I know is English.
In the late 70's being different was painful