Before the Truth

Kindergarten in the Bronx
Was not what you know of.
To see pictures now you'd say
But they were all black and Hispanic!

And I'd say, yes they were.
The only little white girl
In a class of twenty-five.
That was me.

True.

But it did not matter,
Because, you see,
A child of six was a child of six,
whether 
white, 
black, 
red, 
yellow 
or turquoise.

A child of six
Had not yet learned from adults
That colours are called races
Being colourful is a bad thing
Some colours are better than others
And that their real names are
Nip
Wop
Jew
Spic
Darkie
Commie
and Chink.

What a silly child I was.
I called them friend.


© Kathy Baillie, 1982