Skip to main content
By Suma Subramaniam

I come from a country so far away
that you may have visited only in your dreams.
My face does not bear the pale color of my palms.
I don’t speak your language at home.
I don’t even sound like you.
If you come to my house, you’ll see my family:
my mother in a sari,
my father wearing a sacred thread around his body,
and me, eating a plate of spicy biryani
instead of a burger or pizza
at the dinner table.
If you, for a moment, shed your filter,
you will also see my pockets filled with Tootsie Rolls,
waiting to be shared with you.
 


Illustration by Lisa Desimini of a young girl in a red dress in front of a green background holding a tootsie roll and has two others sticking out of her left pocket.
Illustration by Lisa Desimini

Source: Poetry (February 2021)

  • Living
  • Relationships
  • Social Commentaries

Poet Bio

Suma Subramaniam
Suma Subramaniam lives in Seattle and is a children’s and young adult author. She received her MFA in Writing from Vermont College of Fine Arts. See More By This Poet

More Poems about Living

Browse poems about Living

More Poems about Relationships

Browse poems about Relationships

More Poems about Social Commentaries

Browse poems about Social Commentaries Get a random poem