It all happened a year ago
When I arrived here and came to know
That not all was as the TV had shown;
By God, it was the land of the unknown!
An endless summer marked the days
In the blessed land where I was raised.
But here, autumn leaves and winter snow
Marks the time that passes ever slow.
Of cultures and traditions,
Or dreams and ambitions;
A clash between the East and West?
To join the two shall be my quest.
I used to be a joke in my friends’ eyes,
For they said I was a white in disguise.
“White on the inside, yellow on the outside!
Look, a banana!” they laughed and cried.
Yet, here I am in the Land of the Free
Eating rice and drinking tea.
“Kanasai!” remains my favorite curse,
And thus it shall be till the day of my hearse.
