Fourth Grade History

When I was nine years old

My classmate called me illegal.

In a flurry of fast-speaking english words

The only one I caught was the I-word.

I knew what it meant.

I snickered, his name was Guadalupe,

That’s a girl’s name I said.

Months later,

A different classmate asked me

If I was Aztec.

With a few more months of English

Under my belt I knew enough to understand

His question

But I didn’t know the answer.

“Umm I don’t know.” I said.

He was annoyed, “how could you

Not know?”

I shrugged.

He was right to be annoyed,

Not for his sake but for my own.

Knowing the I-Word is

Less important than knowing

Who my ancestors are.