They tell me that I am a coconut.
Brown on the outside.
White on the inside. 

The roots of my palm
tree are ingrained across the 
span of the planet Earth.

​The leaves that shade me
would shade you all too if you let them.
My mother's love; my father's strength.

So why am I a foreigner to all?
To my own people; my shell.
To the white culture that raised me; my meat.

If I am a coconut
how is it that no one wants me
to grow in their home?

They tell me, "You aren't one of us."
You are an American.
But how can that be if I lived there longer than I ever lived here?

They yell at me, "Make America Great Again"
But wouldn't it be more great
with more coconuts around?

They celebrate "Punish a Muslim Day"
But don't they know I punished myself enough
everyday of my youth, while wishing I was 

a lychee, an apple, a potato even,
but not a coconut. Never a coconut.
Because being a coconut meant

remembering that I would never completely
belong. Not here. Not there.
Not anywhere.

But they can't break me.
No, not this coconut.
I've continued to grow, and ingrained my roots

in all, while fruiting and flourishing
And learning to belong ​within
the palm tree I call myself.

She smiles at me as teardrops gather in her pale eyes.
There is a lump in her throat; her voice is shaky.
I can tell that she is trying to be strong for me.
I know I am trying to do the same for her.
We hug each other so tight,
Feeling the warmth of each other’s skin.
I smell her familiar scent, and take in a deep breath,
Knowing that soon I will forget it all over again.
She says something, but I don’t comprehend it. 
I am too focused on remembering the smell of her skin.
I kiss her goodbye on her wrinkled cheek, 
And can taste her salty tears.
As I take another step towards airport security,
Another step closer to college, 
I turn around and see her waving goodbye.
I open my mouth to yell, “Bye Mom! I love you!”
But nothing comes out,
As we are forced to say goodbye yet again.