What Happened On the Corner
by Neena Noneit, Staff Writer

The old lady with her go-cart standing on the corner had frail bones, 

So the words she spoke under her breath in a condescending tone, 

Was unexpected and slashed my mother and my heart like a shard of glass, 

"Go back to where you came from" and my mother's voice sang, 

Out in screams, "Die, you die, you bitch, people like you should never live!"



I can't explain it, 

Perhaps my mother was stressed, 

From living in a country, 

In which she couldn't speak. 



The day she snapped was the day my fears of fighting died, 

That sunny day, my fears of not belonging got erased, 

I knew in my heart I had every right to be here in my birth country, 

Even xenophobia couldn't keep me and my loyalty away. 



The Pilgrims came in their native clothes from England, 

Spread out and populated this part of earth, 

Now it's everybody else's turn, 

We are the new Pilgrims in different clothes. 



To finish this story, the old lady turned up her nose, 

Said "Me no speak English" and walked away, 

As soon as the light turned red but she had heard, 

She became afraid and didn't know what to do but run away. 



My mother turned to me and said, "Let this a lesson be, 

I can't speak English as well as you but don't let that ever be, 

An impediment to what you think and have to say, 

Bring it out loud and it will scare creeps like her away." 



I'm not the only one, I discovered to my relief, 

After asking around who had an incident like that in history, 

What happened on that corner taught me much, 

And has been forever imprinted in my memory.