Poem: the gray

the gray

ABCD. 

american born, confused desi. 

a label. 

not completely american but never completely indian either. 

the gray, in-between, 

never fitting in with american friends, 

too used to impromptu bollywood references and my hidden accent, 

changing the way the words rolled off my tongue. 

visiting india was the same

the strange girl with the american accent,

using words like restroom instead of washroom, 

spelling my words without a “u”. 

spent my whole life hiding. 

using words like y’all to hide my indian

faking an indian accent to hide my american

never did i realize that i could be both.

-m.n.

Mahika Natarajan

Hi my name is Mahika! I'm a junior and I enjoy writing and reading a lot. I've been learning Indian classical dance for 10 years now and also play the tabla, an Indian percussion instrument. I love coffee, rainy days and playing with my dog.

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