I was born in America,
but America never felt born for me.
Four years here,
and it still feels like I’m walking through a place
that keeps asking me to prove
I belong in the land that printed my birth certificate.
They stare at me in stores
like my skin is a warning label.
They step back,
they whisper,
they watch me like I’m doing something
even when I’m just breathing.
But when I wear gold?
When I shine a little louder?
When my dad stands beside me?
Suddenly I’m “respectable,”
suddenly I’m “pretty,”
suddenly I’m “safe.”
Funny how my worth changes
depending on who’s looking.
Egypt never did that to me.
Egypt opened its arms
like it already knew my name.
Kids grabbed my hands,
called me adorable,
played with me
like my skin was sunlight,
not something to fear.
Egypt felt like home
because people treated me
like a person.
Not a threat.
Not a stereotype.
Not a shadow.
And now I’m here,
in the country I was born in,
the country my parents are from,
the country that’s supposed to be mine —
and people act like I’m something
they need to escape from.
I want them to know
what it feels like
to be American
but treated like a stranger.
To be a kid
but treated like danger.
To walk through your own country
and feel like you’re trespassing
in a place that should’ve loved you first.
I want them to know
that I’m not asking for special treatment —
just the kind of simple kindness
Egypt gave me without thinking.
Just the chance
to exist
without being feared.
Just the right
to feel at home
in the place
that calls itself mine.
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this is an awesome poem! my favorite part was probably the lines about being in your own country and feeling like you're trespassing. i just really liked the wording. as a fellow american, i like how i can both relate to this and see a new perspective. in america everyone is so distant from eachother and community is lacking along with the obvious problems with people disliking foreigners, immigrants, and just people who dont seem like they "belong" in our country and racially profiling people. i can understand how you feel through this poem. another part i liked was the part where your dad is near you (likely white or white passing i assume) and suddenly youre seen as a person who belongs. this made me feel sympathetic and helped me put myself in your shoes. overall i enjoyed this poem and i cant find many criticisms to make! i want you to know you belong in any space your body takes up, wherever that might be. you have a lot of potential keep writing!
Ty just to be clear my dad isn't white he is just a strong man and hates when people bully me so people usually just stare and now not to mess with me but thanks a lot i love this review
alright thanks for clearing that up! im glad you liked my review
Great Poem! I too feel like people stare like your something to fear. but I've been here all my life. Egypt sounds like a beautiful place.
oh it is ty
Born and borne with the the burden of feeling like a stranger, an enemy in danger just for your self attainment and behavior. Okay racial profiling. The paradox is this is the same place that printed your profile, doesn't that make you wonder. Wonder just why in Egypt you never needed that profil to feel at home but just yourself as a person to just be accepted as you are like sunlight not a stereotype nor a threat but as if you're someone they meant to have met. Like a person with the right to exist without being feared but inspired and revered.
So I guess I say if Egypt calls itself yours and you call Egypt yours that it is or may be your true home. Because in a place that makes you something to hate, it's still yourself you separate.
And so goes the fatal debate
.....
PEACE
✌️☯️🎭
I saw the title and description and got curious, so here I am
I like the poem! The meaning is clear and effective, which is a big one for me. Thank you for that.
The themes of not being accepted in the U.S. and wanting to go back to Egypt and only being respected in the U.S. if you have riches or someone strong to protect you is very valid, as someone who lives in the U.S. (and a mostly white Christian population) there is a lot of racism and discrimination against foreigners here.
Thank you for writing this poem! Hopefully things get better soon, but it doesn't look like it will. Just don't give up on finding your place, there is one here too.