Mexican
Surrounded by children
No hablo ingles
I am not.

Shabby
Vanilla refuse
Unschooled
I am not.

Can't tell by looking, can you?
I have a paper that says "B.A." in my pocket.
I was feeling very poor
before I actually became it;
my heart was bankrupt
before my usury.

Spare me the prejudice;
and spare me the lecture.
You have no idea.

20 responses total.

I don't normally comment on content but...
This is ironic. The first two stanzas are pure prejudice, then in the fourth
stanza, you say, "Spare me the prejudice." I presume you're not talking to
yourself, but maybe you should be.

It sounds like it came out of an encounter.

Whatever, the title is hilarious.

Paul, Russ is correct.  Try reading it again.

The "pure prejudice" is based on a variety of comments I've heard from 
people, but a recent one just took the cake.  I went to a local U-Bake 
pizza chain and paid with my EBT card.  The cashier and I got into a 
small conversation in which I commented that I thought EBT cards were 
less embarassing.

It ended on the note that it was her opinion that people on food stamps 
tended to just make babies.  I was somewhat offended as I have only 
one.  The slam might have been directed towards white folk, but it more 
smacked of "Mexican."

"The slam MIGHT HAVE BEEN directed towards white folk, but it more smaked of
'Mexican'."
 
So she didn't say, "Those filthy burrito-eaters and their baby machines," but
you HEARD that. You filled in a racial slur where one didn't overtly exist,
and you deny being prejudiced?
 
I stand by my comments in #1. You're a bigot.

I do freely admit my prejudices-- even when they run ironic.

Psychologically, everyone has prejudices, however, under certain 
definitions.  So, technically, so do you.  I nevertheless apologize.

btw, over here, it would be "those filthy beaners and their prego 
women."

Mighty acrid tongue we have today, don't we?  Where the HELL do you get 
off determining what I am or am not saying in a creative work?  If it 
were prose, and a more of a declarative statement, I would understand.  
I still apologize, and again, I've said, "Yeah, I'm probably wrong," 
but you've REALLY pissed me off.  Who died and made you a diety on 
what's moral, hmmm?

So I have prejudices with white trash and some migrants (but most of 
the people I do see every day are white), but good grief, YOU KNOW MY 
POETRY IS CATHARTIC!  If you can't accept me, faults and all, you 
should just piss off.  And why should I be so mad?

Because, Paul, I sincerely believe you are better than that.

btw, I have tried to get some activity going on poetry again.

Poor Robert Lawson, he's been gone for so long, that when he posted 
some stuff, he didn't know what was going on and thought we hated him 
or thought his poetry sucked.  So I gave a little feedback.  I also 
thought posting a poem of my own would help.

Where have you been, Paul?  Why don't you either start making 
constructive critique, post your own poetry, or SHUT THE HELL UP.  You 
can so be above the personal attacks you just made.

This response has been erased.

I find it terribly ironic that what looks to me like Jon's
experience with prejudice aimed at *him*, brighn judges as
Jon's prejudice.  If so, it proves that brighn has bought
into the mind-set of white liberal guilt.

This response has been erased.

Forget I said anything.
FWIW, Russ, you're wrong, but I shouldn't have said anything in the first
place.

My point is that we don't have a transcript of Jon's experience
with the cashier, and using the word "bigot" indicates prejudice.

I've seen Jon though, albeit, it was only once and years ago, he was 
white, and apparantly male, and judgeing from Julie, hes at least 
partially heterosexual... that means he HAS to be a racist asshole. I 
mean, isn't that the rule of thumb?


**If anyone takes this comment at face value they will be beaten with 
trout**

You didn't have to do all this just on my account!

I do like the poem. I must say, however much as it pains me to do so, I agree
with Paul to a point. That is to say, we are all prejudiced to some
degree. Being black and raised by the white side of my family, I can say that
I have prejudices on both sides of my race line. While this "grey" racism is
not all together pleasant, it is a part of who I am and I have to deal with
that, adjust and hopefully grow into a less-racist human being. I can discuss
it rationaly; maybe some of you cannot.

And yes, the poem hints at some racism on the poet's part. But he expressed
how he felt, reactionary to a negative experience, quite well. I might suggest
adding a little more substance however to the last stanza.

Now I am quite sure I have given reason for both sides to hate me, and now
I don't feel so bad!! :) Toodles.

More proof that the Internet is rather color-blind.  I wouldn't have 
guessed.

Thanks, Robert, I'll mull it over and see what improvement I might make.

Addition to last stanza:

You see, I once thought as you do.
Then I had to start walking
where these people do.
I've got a white trashy friend.
Very well educated, though.
Oh, wait-- should I make an exception
because he's an LDS Jew?
And not long ago, I was eating humble pie
working out in the fields
with brown-skinned laborers.
I didn't last two days, though.
*sigh* and I doubt they are taking jobs away.

Wait at least until you've been there.

kickass.  yeah.

question, tho': LDS?  forgive me if the answer is right in front of my 
face, but it's been a long day and i am sleepy.

Latter-Day Saint (i.e., Mormon)

well at least i don't feel stupid, as i wouldn't have figured that one out
regardless of rest.  =)

re resp 13: but you're so *worth* our argumentativeness! (is that a word? 
oh well, we're in poetry.) 

agreed.

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