Disguise

a young child laughing 

at me

because my hair is blonde and

my eyes are blue

eyes wide shut remembering the history

photos of my grandparents 

more Great’s than i could count

at the time

hung on the wall just out of the kitchen

where meals of barbecued carne

were served

in and out of the sliding door 

came little wet feet from the pool, through the kitchen

running past the pictures on the wall

near the couch

where my dad sits to braid my hair

like my grandmothers taught him

they learned from their tribe

women and men

tranquil and tender

willful and caring

they loved everyone

even the people who tore down their civilization

and

a young child laughing

kept laughing

at me

here stands my culture

with blond hair and

blue eyes